Last Man on Earth
by Upsgirl88
Summary: The quarry camp was attacked by a herd... it wasn't just a few that died - it was everyone. Almost everyone. Carol Peletier somehow survived the worst of it and was rescued by the only other survivor in the camp - Daryl Dixon. It was only her and this redneck stranger left. For all she knew, this guarded, angry guy was the last man on earth, but at least she wasn't alone.
1. Chapter 1

Carol felt an arm wrap around her midsection. "No…leave her… ain't nothing you can do now…" The gruff redneck voice spat in her ear. He dragged her away from the horror before her. "Come on, come on… in there," he said. Carol was numb with fear, pain, paralyzed in shock, but she somehow found a way to turn and run after him as Daryl dragged her towards the RV.

They stepped over Dale's lifeless, mutilated body and Daryl shoved her ahead, into the vehicle. His shove was rough - the same kind of push she'd endured for many years with Ed, but it wasn't an angry shove, no, Daryl was trying to save her life. Carol caught her balance. She'd had a lot of practice at being pushed and staying on her feet, although at times it was better just to fall because sometimes Ed would walk away once she was down.

She scrambled inside and turned to see Daryl fire off a shot with his crossbow putting a bolt through the head of an approaching walker. He pulled out his hunting knife and stabbed two more of the snarling creatures in the head before he could finally pull the door shut and latch it. They were inside. They were safe.

"Down on the floor," Daryl hissed, laying flat. "Gotta wait them out," he added.

"But the others…" Carol said. It came out in a whimper. Sophia was still out there somewhere. Her baby. She needed to go back out.

"Anyone still out there is dead," Daryl grunted. She knew he was right. There were no more screams, no more gunshots. The only sounds were the inhuman grunts and snarling of the monsters. He met her eye and his voice softened. "I saw her and Carl run into the woods when the herd showed up. They might be fine… maybe they got away…" His voice didn't sound all that confident. "We'll find them," he added, putting a lot more effort into making his tone reassuring.

Carol put her head down on the floor of the RV and started to cry. She cried silently, knowing that they needed to be quiet for the walkers to pass by. How had this happened? She was living a normal life as a stay at home mom - well maybe not completely normal since Ed treated her like shit and beat her regularly - but compared to this world it was normal. Now here she was bawling on the floor of an old man's RV - an old man that was ripped to shreds just outside the door - with a gruff redneck she barely knew. They were both smeared with blood and the smell was a horrid stench that had her on the verge of vomiting at any second.

Her husband was dead. Carol had seen a walker chewing on him near their tent. Sophia was likely dead too - even though there was still a shred of hope. All the women that had become her family, the sisters she'd never had - Lori, Andrea, Jacqui, Amy… They were dead too. Carol lost track of all the people she'd seen lying on the ground with chunks of flesh missing, pools of blood around them, some still being eaten. The same people she'd sat around the campfire with the night before.

She should have been dead too. She didn't even have a weapon. She couldn't find anywhere to hide in the chaos. And before Daryl arrived there was no one to save her. But somehow she was there, with him, lying on the floor crying with not a scratch on her body. She had run, dodged, and ducked her way through the madness. It never should have worked. They should have ganged up on her and had a walker buffet on her lifeless body. Why? Why was she the one who got to survive?

It made sense that Daryl was still alive. He was a badass with a massive chip on his shoulder. He wasn't afraid of anything. He made it clear that he didn't like anyone and wanted to be alone, especially after what happened with his brother. Rick had handcuffed Daryl's older brother to a roof in Atlanta. They went back for him and returned with only a hand. The man had sawed off his own hand to escape and might even still be out there somewhere if he didn't bleed to death. But chances were… in this world… Daryl would never see Merle again. Just like me, Carol thought. If they didn't find Sophia's body out there in the woods… if she somehow survived... it was still highly unlikely Carol would ever find her again anyway.

She bit back a sob as she realized that she had lost her only child. Her baby girl. The one thing that was always good in her life. Now there was nothing good left. Nothing but her and this angry man she barely knew. The angry man saved your life, a voice in her mind pointed out. Carol lifted her head enough to sneak a peek at him. She never had figured out how old he was. He had young looking features and acted childish but the wrinkle lines around his eyes and the corners of his mouth suggested he actually may not be much younger than she was.

He was handsome. Even through the dirt, the ripped, grungy clothing and the bad attitude she had noticed that the very first time she met him. He was also intriguing. He watched the world around him intently, taking things in constantly. Carol had observed him from time to time, pretending not to care about anything or anyone, but she could tell it hurt him not to be included. She could tell that he knew everything that was going on - including the way Ed was treating her.

The strange part was… she could also tell it affected him and she didn't understand it. They weren't friends. They barely knew one another. But when tensions were high between her and Ed and she was doing her best to hide the truth she knew Daryl picked up on it. Eventually everyone figured it out, but Daryl was the first. Carol was also very observant. She knew he was the first to recognize she was being abused.

But why did he care? He didn't seem like the type of person who was just empathetic towards the human race. No, there was a reason Daryl shot daggers at Ed whenever they were within a few feet of one another. But what was it?

Carol sighed angrily, earning her a glare from Daryl. He put his finger to his lips and she gave him an apologetic look. None of the crap going on in her mind even mattered anymore anyway. Ed was gone. The tears picked up again when she came right back to Sophia. In that moment she just couldn't muster any sort of hope. They were all gone. Everyone she knew was gone.

She looked at Daryl again. Was he feeling the same emptiness she was? Or did he even care? What did it matter to him anyway? He'd already lost his brother - these people didn't matter to him. But he _had_ lost his brother, so maybe… maybe he understood how she felt. Maybe he'd cried himself to sleep alone in his camper. The thought of Daryl crying made her want to laugh. It would have been an awkward embarrassing fit of laughter brought on by the shock and devastation of the situation more than the image in her mind of him crying.

Carol ducked her head back down and fought off the giggles. Daryl would have thrown her out the door to the walkers thinking she was completely insane. Maybe I am, Carol thought. Maybe I am insane. Maybe this is all a crazy dream and I'm locked up in some looney bin hallucinating. She couldn't decide which version of reality would have been worse.

They stayed there on the floor a long time. There were moments when the RV was rocking and she wanted to cover her ears to block out the snarling and loud thumping as the creatures tried to claw their way inside. Eventually the sounds faded away and it became really hard to stay put. Especially when she had to pee so badly. Carol was too embarrassed to say anything to Daryl about it so she held it and held it until it hurt and she was sure her bladder was gonna burst. She was still scared to say anything, but it was either that or pee her pants. "I have to pee," she whispered, waiting for the angry, annoyed glare or response.

"Me too," he whispered back. "Stay here while I check outside." Well that was unexpected Carol thought. Her heart rate picked up as she watched him quietly get to his feet and peek out the window. He seemed satisfied with what he saw so Daryl moved to the door and silently opened it, with his weapon ready. He looked outside and then took a step out the door. And he was gone. Carol felt panic seize her body. She was alone. If something happened to him… if he didn't return she would be completely alone. Daryl was the only one left and she was struck with an intense need for him. She needed this stranger to keep her sane. Without him she would be alone, crazy and likely dead in a few days.

Carol fought the urge to get up and follow him. She didn't want Daryl out of her sight, but she also knew he was trying to keep them both safe. She had to stay down like she was told. He returned in a matter of seconds, but it felt like hours. "It's clear," he said, no longer whispering. "But it's bad… we got a lot of work to do."

When Carol stood she was sure she was going to pee her pants. She took a deep breath and stepped out of the RV. Dale's body was even worse than before - almost unrecognizable. "Oh my God, I really have to go," she hissed, looking around. The makeshift bathroom was on the other side of the camp and there were a lot of bodies between them and the facilities.

"Just go behind the RV," Daryl said. "That's where I went."

"It's a little easier for you," she muttered. Carol had tissues in her pocket. Sophia had been having allergy issues and her nose was always running. Sophia. Carol's heart ached. She took a step away from Daryl and stopped.

"What are ya waiting for?" he asked, giving her a strange look.

He was gonna think she was an idiot, but she just didn't want him out of her sight again. "Can you come with me… uh… keep an eye out in case one of them appears while I'm trying to go…" She hoped that explaining it that way would make him come without arguing.

"They're all gone," he replied.

"Just come with me," Carol snapped. She didn't mean to sound so bossy, but she had to pee so bad and she didn't have time to argue with him.

"Fine, whatever," he grumbled, following her around behind the RV. Daryl turned his back to her and leaned against the camper while she did her business. She had to go so much her legs were getting shaky by the time she was through. Carol wiped quickly and tossed the tissues on the ground. Normally she would have made sure to throw them into the garbage bin so they could be burned, but not today. Today those simple things no longer mattered. "Thought you were never gonna finish," he muttered as Carol stepped up beside him.

She ignored him. "What do we do now?" She already knew the answer to her question but she was hoping Daryl had a different solution.

"Gotta gather the bodies… destroy the brain so they don't turn... burn them…"

"Bury them," Carol corrected him. "We bury our dead, burn the rest."

"That's a lot of fucking digging," Daryl gave her a look.

"We can do it," Carol replied confidently. She couldn't bring herself to burn the bodies of her friends and family - even Ed. "We can dig one big grave and put them all in together." She couldn't believe she was being so rational about all of this, but she needed a distraction and even this horrible distraction was better than nothing.

They started to gather bodies and Daryl used a pickaxe to destroy their brains. He seemed unaffected by the fact that he was stabbing the heads of people he knew. Just another day. Carol watched as he put an end to people she cared about one by one…T-Dog, Amy, Rick, Lori… the list went on. She couldn't watch him deal with the children. The first little Morales girl they found dead had Carol sobbing hysterically and throwing up what little food that was in her stomach.

Daryl just kept going, like a machine. He was sweaty, dirty and had to be exhausted but he didn't stop until they dragged the last body to the pile - Ed. "I should do it…" Carol heard herself say. It was like she was hovering over herself, watching. "He was my husband…" Daryl gave her a look of disbelief but handed over the pickaxe.

Carol took it, and with tears burning her eyes she lifted it up high and brought it down through Ed's head. The man who had caused her so much pain… She lifted it and swung again. The man who hurt her… She swung a third time as her body filled with rage. Carol was blind from the tears and her anger. Was she crying for him? Or for herself? She had no idea. She just kept swinging and swinging until there was nothing but a mess of blood and grey matter where his head used to be.

She went to swing again and Daryl caught the pick axe. "We should start digging before it gets dark," was all he said.

Carol swiped away the tears and nodded. She should have felt embarrassed for the way she had acted, but Daryl just continued on like nothing had happened. She refocused on the task at hand and did her best to help Daryl dig. The ground was hard and it took a long time to get a grave wide and deep enough for all the bodies. But they did it. As they dropped them one by one into the ground Carol made a mental note of the bodies that were missing. The list was short. Very short. Sophia. Carl. Glenn. Shane.

Those were the only bodies that weren't in the grave. Those were the only people left that had a chance of being alive. But it was only that - a chance. A very, very slim chance. It took almost an hour to fill in the grave. By the time the bodies were covered it was almost dark. "We should say something, shouldn't we?" Carol looked at Daryl. It didn't feel right to just leave them and not say anything.

Daryl just shrugged. Carol moved beside him and bowed her head. She looked sideways and saw he followed suit. She started to speak, "Dear Lord, we pray for safe passage for all the brave, wonderful people we lost today…" she stopped for a moment as her voice caught with emotion. She felt Daryl's hand brush hers. It may have been an accident or it may have been his way of comforting her, but either way it worked. It was a reminder that there was still at least one person left - she wasn't alone. "Please bless their souls and reunite them all with their loved ones in your kingdom, Amen," she finished. She heard Daryl say something as well, which she assumed was also an ''amen." It surprised her as she didn't take him for the religious type, but she was thankful for his effort.

"We should get inside, it's almost dark," Daryl said, breaking a moment of silence they'd been having.

"Maybe we can go to the water, clean up and change first?" she suggested, hoping she wouldn't offend him. Being dirty and covered in blood didn't seem to bother Daryl like it would the average person. "I can wash these clothes tomorrow," she offered.

"Wouldn't worry about it… got lots of clothes to choose from now," he replied. He was only being truthful and in a way, Carol realized, he was trying to save her the effort of doing laundry. But it was also a reminder that everyone was gone and she had to fight the tears.

They both found clean clothes and headed down to the water. If the day hadn't been such a horrific tragedy Carol would have enjoyed the peaceful calmness and the reflection of the moon on the pond. But she was in too much pain to allow herself any joyful emotions. They turned their backs to one another as they both washed and changed.

By the time Carol was done she felt slightly refreshed but absolutely exhausted. Part of her wanted to head out with flashlights and try to find Sophia in the dark, but she knew it was stupid. She was dead on her feet as it was and it was way too dangerous. She followed Daryl back to the RV in a trance, almost falling a couple of times. Daryl caught her the third time she stumbled and held on to her until she was sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Sleep. Tomorrow we head into the woods," Daryl said. Carol knew what that meant without explanation. Tomorrow she could find Sophia… Dead or alive. Or even worse… turned. Carol was exhausted, both emotionally and physically. But she was scared to sleep. She was terrified Daryl would walk out in the middle of the night and never come back. She was petrified of being alone. She laid down and pulled the blanket over her. She was waiting for Daryl to walk away and lay down on the other bed.

When he started to take a step away she spoke. "Daryl," she whispered, battling to keep her eyes open for just a moment longer. "Please don't… please don't leave me…" He gave the slightest of a nod and instead of moving to the other end of the RV to sleep on the second bed he sunk to floor, right beside her bed and laid down like a guard dog.


	2. Chapter 2

When Daryl woke the next morning Carol was still sleeping. He had heard her cry out in her during the night a few times and didn't miss the short periods of sobbing that followed each bad dream. He couldn't help but wonder if the dreams were about the horror they had witnessed the day before or the horrors she'd faced long before the world went nuts.

If anything good, anything good at all, came from what had happened it was that the asshole she'd been married to was gone. Daryl had known she was being abused right from the start, long before it became quite obvious to the entire camp. He had seen the look of fear in her eyes when Ed spoke to her, he'd seen the look of absolute detestation she shot at him when Ed wasn't paying attention, and he'd seen the obedience of someone who's being both physically and emotionally controlled.

He thought about several hours ago when Carol had taken the pickaxe from him and released many years of pent up anger. He probably shouldn't have let her keep going as long as he had, but he knew she needed that moment. It was part of both her grief and her path to heal all the wounds - new and old. When he finally stopped her Daryl made sure to act like it had been no big deal. The last thing she needed was to feel ashamed or embarrassed around him.

Daryl sat up. He really needed to take a piss, but he could still see the terror in her eyes when she'd begged him not to leave her alone. It reminded him of himself as a child begging Merle not to go, not to leave him. Merle never listened and Daryl couldn't do that same thing to someone else. Perhaps Merle had his reasons. Daryl had learned pretty quickly to look after himself, hunt for food alone in the woods... Being alone had made him a survivor. But that was decades ago in another world, another lifetime. He couldn't think of any good lesson it was going to teach Carol for her to wake up alone and scared.

Of all the people in the camp how had it been this woman who had survived? Daryl wondered. Rick was a cop. TDog knew how to shoot, he was strong. Even Andrea... Lori... Amy... They seemed to have adapted to the new world far better than Carol had. Daryl hadn't once seen her do anything badass... Except laundry and cooking. He had to admit Carol did make some pretty badass meals from the meat he brought back for the camp. But she didn't have a gun. She didn't carry a knife. And she just... Well... She just didn't look the least bit tough. So how was she here? When so many others had fallen?

Daryl hadn't really been attached to anyone enough to miss people. But he did have a soft spot for kids, which was why he really wanted to find Sophia… and Carl of course. It had nothing to do with the mourning mother who was sleeping a few feet away, did it? Nah, he decided. It was all about the kids. They didn't deserve this life. They didn't deserve to grow up this way when all the adults around them had at least had a chance at a normal childhood.

But how was he supposed to find Sophia with Carol tagging along? He worked best alone. He would be quicker and it would be safer if he only had to look after himself. Maybe he could talk Carol into letting him go out alone while she waited in the safety of the RV. Daryl noticed she was stirring and the second she opened her eyes and saw him still there the look on her face told him there was no way in hell she would agree to let him go out alone. Relief washed over her face and Daryl noticed her gasp slightly as if the emotion had actually physically affected her. Guess I'm gonna have to teach her to shoot and fight, he thought, feeling slightly bitter. There was a small part of him that just wanted to say screw it and take off but he was pretty certain that would be a death sentence for Carol. There was no doubt about it - she needed him. Daryl wasn't used to being needed and it was a strange feeling.

Maybe we'll find Shane or Glenn and they can look after her, he thought, studying her face with brief flicks of his eyes. She was pretty, even with the extremely short hair. Her eyes were something special - so blue and interesting. Daryl almost snorted out loud at the fact he was checking her out. Carol wasn't his type. Daryl wasn't even sure he had a type anyway, but it certainly wasn't her. Yet it was just the two of them… and there he was thinking about how pretty she was, then letting his eyes wander to the swell of her hip under the blanket and back up to see if there was anything exposed that he'd missed. He'd thought about sneaking a peek when she went pee the day before, but he hadn't done it.

Daryl felt a stirring inside him that only meant one thing. That thing was highly inappropriate given their current situation and likely a product of the fact he hadn't been laid in months. "I… uh… I gotta take a piss," he blurted, scrambling to his feet. "I'll be right back…?" Daryl hesitated, even in his hurry to get away from her, and left it as a question for her to answer. Carol quickly nodded and he bolted out the door.

When he returned after peeing and gathering his composure Carol was pacing by the door. "I gotta go too…" she said, almost apologetically, which made him realize he was on guard duty again.

"Am I gonna have to come when you take a shit too?" Daryl grumbled, following her around behind the RV again.

"Oh God, I don't even want to think about that right now," Carol muttered. "Just… turn around," she added. Until she told him to turn Daryl hadn't even realized he was staring at her. His cheeks felt hot as he turned. This woman was throwing him off and he didn't like it. It needed to stop. "Okay," she said, walking up behind him. "So what's the plan?" Carol asked as they started to walk together.

"Well I would be better if went out there alone," Daryl snapped. Carol looked a bit shocked at his attitude. "But if you're gonna insist on coming you need a gun and a knife."

"I… I don't know how to shoot," she stammered. "And I don't have a knife…"

"Well ain't it a good thing we have an entire bag of guns and a backpack full of knives…" Daryl looked around. "Don't see anyone else that's going to be needing them." He had collected all the weapons from the bodies they buried the day before. Carol looked like she was going to cry and he immediately felt bad and angry at the same time. Snark and a bad attitude had always been his go-to defense mechanism. He had a massive chip on his shoulder and some days he hated the entire world. But now here was this woman he barely knew and she was making him feel bad for being an asshole. That made him angry because no one had ever done that to him before. Carol affected him and he didn't like that much.

Well he wasn't about to apologize. She would just have to toughen up, he told himself. But it didn't keep his voice from softening considerably when he spoke again. "Let's go find you suitable weapons and we should get out there… start looking for…" Daryl didn't have to finish. They both knew exactly who they were looking for. Shane… Glenn… Carl… and Soph… For some reason he couldn't even finish the name in his thoughts, worried that it might somehow upset her. It was so stupid. It's not like she could read his fucking mind. But sometimes she got this look in her eye like she knew exactly what he was thinking and it was unsettling. So Daryl refused to even think the little girl's name with Carol on the brink of tears already.

Daryl dug through the bag of guns and found a little pistol. He was pretty sure it had been Lori's. It would do the trick for Carol. No kickback, nice and compact, easy to load… Daryl opened the chamber of the revolver. It was fully loaded which meant Lori must have died without even firing a shot, he thought sadly. That was why Carol needed to learn to protect herself and he would make sure of it.

"Safety is here," Daryl said, showing her the button. "It's on now, but when you see red…" he switched the safety off. "It's ready to shoot." He turned the safety back on and then Daryl held out the gun. "Just aim and pull the trigger. Simple." He noticed Carol's hand was shaking as she took it, but she recovered quickly. She grabbed the gun and tucked it in her waistband.

Daryl rifled through the backpack full of knives. He found a sturdy switchblade but it wasn't as easy to open and close as he liked for her and opening it took time - time was dangerous. He dug deeper and found a knuckle duster style knife in a black sheath. He glanced quickly and saw she had a belt on. Perfect. "Strap that on. You right handed?" Carol nodded. "Left side then." He watched as she put the sheath on her belt and gingerly pulled the knife out, trying a couple different grips. She would figure out it, he decided. "Okay, let's get out there."

Daryl felt his stomach growl. "Hold on," Carol said. She took a deep breath and went to the little tent she used to share with Ed and Sophia. She returned with a knapsack and dug out two protein bars, then strapped it on her back. Daryl noticed she looked a little rattled but was holding herself together so far. It couldn't have been easy going in the tent, but she'd done it. She handed him a bar and they both ate while they walked. Maybe he would find some game to shoot while they were out in the woods and they could have a decent supper when they returned to camp.

Daryl stopped and bent down to inspect the ground. He sighed. "Too much shuffling around from all those damn walkers," he grumbled. There was no way he could find a trail in that mess. "Gonna have to just pick a direction and see if I can pick up a trail further out," he said, looking up at her. Carol had her arms crossed and she shivered. Daryl hadn't thought to remind her to put on a sweater. It was always much cooler in the woods. He stood and slipped off his jacket. "Gonna be big, but it'll keep you warm," he mumbled, handing it to her.

He half expected her to give it back and maybe even ask to go back to camp to find a sweater. But her clothes were all in that tent and Daryl suspected she had no desire to go back in there again. "Thanks," she said, taking the leather jacket from him. Daryl watched her put it on. It was way too big, but it was warm and she seemed satisfied. Daryl gestured for her to follow and they started heading into the woods. "Do you really think we're gonna find her?" Carol asked softly, from somewhere close behind him.

What the hell was he supposed to say to that? "We're gonna find her," Daryl spoke, glancing back at Carol. It was the first thing that popped into his mind. It was the truth - he was confident they were going to find her. But whether she was dead or alive was the real issue. "Maybe you should call out to her," Daryl suggested. "If she's hiding somewhere she might respond to you."

Carol nodded. "Sophia…. Sophia…" she called out. They wandered through the woods for what he guessed was close to 3 hours while he looked for tracks and Carol kept calling out her little girl's name. Daryl noticed her voice crack a few times, she was getting hoarse.

"Stop, sit," he said, gesturing to a log. "Let's take a break for a minute." Carol sat down with a defeated sigh. They both knew that the longer Sophia was out there on her own the less likely it was going to be that they would find her. Carol sat way off to one side of the log, clearly leaving a spot for him to join her. Daryl considered sitting on the ground, but found himself taking the spot she'd left for him. She squirmed around for a minute and he realized she was trying to get the backpack from underneath his jacket. Finally she produced more food. This time it was some kind of dried fruit and nut bar. Daryl never would have ate shit like that before, but it was welcome when she handed it to him. "Thanks," he said.

"Guess this is lunch," Carol said, tearing into her bar.

All of a sudden there was a snarl. Before Daryl could lift his weapon Carol already had her gun aimed and fired. The gun was loud and she gasped as it went off. She had reacted without hesitation and that was definitely a great skill. And she had actually hit the walker with her shot, but not in the head where she needed to aim. Daryl realized it would be a good teaching opportunity. "Stand up," he said. "Quick." She did and he positioned himself behind her. "Aim for his head… steady…" He reached his arm out and helped to guide her. "Now fire," he whispered in her ear. Carol pulled the trigger and instantly the snarling stopped as the beast fell to the ground in front of them. But before they had a chance to celebrate her victory another creature started in their direction.

They both made the realization at the same time and Daryl felt his heart sink. "Is that…" Carol gasped. "Oh God…" She was crying. He could feel the sobs shaking her body being positioned so closely to her. Carol was starting to sink, her knees likely giving way, so Daryl wrapped his free arm around her waist to hold her up. The walker was approaching as they stood frozen in shock. He had to do something…

Daryl lifted her arm with the gun. It had to be done. That's just the way things were. He wrapped his hand around hers and together they pulled the trigger. As the walker fell backwards Carol's legs gave way completely and she pulled Daryl down to the damp forest ground with her. "I can't do this… I can't do this… I can't do this…" she kept repeating over and over. Daryl had no choice but to hold her until she calmed down. It surprised him when she turned and hugged him, tucking her face against his chest. Daryl didn't hug people - certainly not strangers. But she was in his arms seeking the comfort of the only person left in her world and it felt… both good and bad at the same time.

When she finally stopped crying she pulled back and swiped away the tears. She broke and now she was pulling herself back together only a moment later. Daryl was surprised by her strength and felt a tingle of hope. Maybe there was a reason she'd outlived the others… Carol stood and offered him a hand. "Let's get out of here."


	3. Chapter 3

Carol hoped her internal struggle wasn't obvious to Daryl. She didn't want to be a burden. She didn't want to die. And she didn't want to give him any reason to ditch her. At the end of the day, she simply didn't want to be alone. But when she saw Glenn coming at them she'd completely lost it. It wasn't Sophia, it wasn't her baby, but Glenn was still just a kid. He wasn't a child, lost out there, like Sophia or Carl, but he was still a kid - young, full of life, someone's child in another time.

"Fuck," Daryl grumbled, bringing her out of her thoughts.

"What's wrong?" Carol asked, pausing behind where he was crouched down on the ground. "The damn walkers have destroyed this whole area. The tracks go everywhere. Ain't gonna be able to track a Goddamn thing," he stood up and kicked the ground, obviously frustrated.

Carol felt her heart sink. "Maybe we should go a little further?" she suggested meekly. They had been walking for almost 2 hours since the incident with walker Glenn.

"Ain't gonna matter," he mumbled, but he stood up and kept walking.

Carol jogged after him. "So do you want to give up?" she said suddenly, in a burst of anger.

Daryl froze and slowly turned around. "We're gonna find her," he growled.

"But you just said…" she started.

"I said I ain't gonna be able to track her. Never said nothing about not finding her," he said with a glare. "Give up and go back if you want to, but I'm staying out here until dark." He turned and started to walk.

Carol's heart was aching with loss, but his words and determination, lifted her spirits enough to draw a fleeting smile to her lips as she trotted off after him again. She had just about caught up when out of nowhere something grabbed her. She recognized the snarling immediately. Get your knife, gun… something… a voice in her head screamed. But she just couldn't make herself move. This can't be how I die, she thought, struggling and trying to wrestle her way out of the monster's grip, while at the same time trying to dodge the snapping jaw.

As quickly as it happened it was over and the walker was lying on the ground in a heap. Carol saw a bolt through it's head. She hadn't even realized Daryl had turned around. She had no idea he'd even fired a shot. But he saved her.

"That's it, you're going back," he said grabbing her arm.

"No, don't… touch… me…" she hissed, wrenching herself from his grasp. No one would ever manhandle her again. Ever. Ed was dead and no man would touch her like that again. Her eyes flashed in anger and Daryl seemed to understand what he'd done wrong.

"Sorry," he mumbled, clearly embarrassed, as he held up his hands and took a step back. He reached for his bolt and ripped it from the walker's head. "Come on… I'm taking you back to the RV."

"No," Carol said, stubbornly crossing her arms and giving him a defiant look. "I'm not going back."

"You're gonna get yourself killed out here… both of us maybe…" he added angrily.

"Then teach me," Carol said insistently. "You gave me a knife, a gun, and a quick lesson on how to fire it… but I don't know what to do. I froze," she admitted. "Teach me Daryl, so I don't freeze again."

He studied her for a long time before finally nodding. "Get your knife out," he said, gesturing. Carol pulled the knife out of the sheath. "You need to know what it feels like to stab one of them. And what it feels like to pull the knife back out." He gestured again towards the dead walker on the ground. "Try it." She hesitated. "Well? You wanna learn or not?" Carol shot him a look. He really could be an asshole sometimes.

She got the knife ready and dropped to her knees. Carol touched the point to the forehead of the beast and slowly shoved it in. It was much more difficult than she'd expected. She had to use the other hand and some of her weight to push the knife in. And when she tried to pull it back out it took 3 yanks before it was out. "Do it like that and you'll be dead," Daryl commented.

He dropped to his knees beside her. "Do it fast, with some force and then pull it right back out." He wrapped his hand around hers on the knife, plunged it into the walker's head, yanked it back out and then released her. "In and out. Quick." He stood up. "Now try it again."

Carol tried a second time. It went in better, but she still had trouble pulling the knife back out. "Again," Daryl said from behind her. She tried once more, in and out… quick. "Again," he repeated. Carol stabbed the walker several more times as instructed until there really wasn't anywhere else to stab without rolling it over. "Good enough," he said finally. Her arm was sore and she was sweating as she stood up. But she felt like they had accomplished something, even if it was something small.

"Let's go," Daryl snarled. Clearly he wasn't quite as impressed with her progress as she was. And seriously, the man had a terrible attitude sometimes, clearly not a people person, Carol thought bitterly. She followed silently, but on alert for anything that might come at her, clutching her knife - ready to use it if necessary. She wondered if Daryl had a plan in mind or if they were wandering aimlessly, but her question was answered a short time later when they came to a clearing and he stopped. "Ain't got a lot of ammo with us, but you should try shooting a few times at least," he said as he bent over and started dragging branches around.

Within a few minutes Daryl had a makeshift target set up. "Gun out, safety off and step back there," he gestured. "Try to hit that," he pointed at a chunk of wood in the center and then moved away. Carol did as she was told and lifted the gun to aim, but her hand was shaking. Daryl sighed, "Stop." He came over to her. "You ain't gonna hit a damn thing aimed like that." He used his foot and kicked lightly at the inside of her boots, widening her stance. Then he moved around behind her. Carol turned to see what he was doing. "Face forward," he demanded. She turned her head and looked towards the target. She could feel him standing right behind her, so close, and Carol tensed. She wasn't used to having someone in her personal space, unless it was Ed and he was abusing her.

Carol held her breath as she felt him step even closer until their bodies were almost touching and then he reached around her body to adjust her arm. Their bare forearms were touching now and his chest was brushing her back… something was grazing her ass. Was he as aware of the situation as she was? "Keep this arm steady," he said and Carol jumped slightly. "Would you fucking relax," Daryl hissed. "It's just a gun. You want to live you better get used to it."

"I'm fine," Carol hissed back, as she adjusted her stance. He really had no idea that her tension had far more to do with him pressed up against her than the gun in her hand.

"Okay, just like that, deep breath and fire," Daryl said softly as he stepped away from her. His tone had changed in a matter of seconds and it threw her off. But she didn't let it distract her too much because she really wanted to hit the target. She wasn't sure if it was more of a desire to impress him or so she could be smug afterwards, but either way Carol needed the shot to be a good one.

She let her body relax, held her aim and pulled the trigger. The loud bang scared her more than it should have, given it was expected. The gun vibrated strangely in her hand, reminding her of the power of the tiny weapon. It took her a minute to regain her senses enough to see if she'd hit the target. Daryl was already wandering over to check so Carol flipped the safety switch and jogged after him. "Hmm," she heard him grunt, poking at the corner of the little target. "Think you grazed it." Carol smiled, she'd done it on the first shot. "Go try again, no help this time."

Clearly he wasn't going to be easily impressed, she thought, trying not to pout like a child on the walk back. When Daryl was out of the way she took her time, lined up and aimed. Her shot wasn't even close this time. "Shit," she muttered, glancing over at Daryl who had an amused smirk on his face.

"Again," he said, crossing his arms. Carol tried once more and she missed by a mile. Daryl wandered over, lifted his crossbow and shot a bolt right into the middle of the target. At first she was annoyed, thinking he was just being a showoff, until he spoke. "Been shooting since I was 6. Takes time." Carol realized it was his awkward way of encouraging her. He set down his weapon and moved behind her again. This time he was even closer so his head was over her shoulder and he was mimicking her exact stance right behind her like they were dance partners. He gently lifted her arm and pointed the gun at the target. "Try this," he said, bringing her other arm up so she was using a two handed stance. "Might help your aim." This time he didn't step away. "Go ahead." Carol pulled the trigger and right away it was very clear she had hit the target. Not dead center by any means, but she'd most definitely hit it.

Daryl stepped back. "Should have one more bullet in there," he said, indicating that he wanted her to take another shot. Carol fired the last round and once again she hit the edge of the target. She turned to face him with a smile, hoping for some sort of praise that didn't come. "Let's reload, grab a quick bite and keep going."

They sat on the ground and Daryl showed her how to reload the gun. Then they each started to eat a granola bar. It was quiet for a moment and finally he spoke. "You didn't really know him… Glenn…"

Carol stopped chewing and looked at him. "He was just a kid," she said, after finishing her bite.

"Yeah, but…" Daryl started to speak.

She cut him off. He clearly wanted to know why she'd broken down like she did. "I lost hope," she said softly as she ripped off another piece of granola bar. "When I saw him I immediately thought if Glenn didn't make it… How could she?" Carol fought back the prickle of tears. She didn't want to cry right then. "But then I thought… at least we know. What if I never have that with Sophia? What if we never find her one way or the… other…"

"Stop," Daryl said. "We're gonna find her. We will," he insisted. Carol studied his eyes. What made him so sure? Where did he find the optimism that she couldn't? And how could he be such a dick one minute and then this sweet guy the next?

Carol didn't have much time to ponder that thought. They both heard the sound at the same time. There were walkers coming. A lot of them.

"The gunshots must have drawn them. Fuck, I should have known better," Daryl said, scrambling to his feet. "Come on… we gotta go…" he held out a hand and pulled Carol to her feet. "Too many to fight. We gotta run…"

And they ran. They ran through the woods as fast as their legs would carry them. They ran. And they ran. And they ran… In the opposite direction of the camp, the RV, their belongings… and the place Sophia would be looking for her... if she was still alive…


	4. Chapter 4

There has to be one, Daryl thought as he ran through the woods. His lungs were burning and his legs were tired, but still he ran, checking every few minutes to make sure Carol was keeping up. She actually seemed a lot better off than he was, not nearly as laboured. Damn cigarettes, he decided.

He had been in these woods so many times. He knew he'd seen more than one. Daryl scanned the area and finally found what he was looking for. He slowed down and pointed up into the trees to show Carol his plan. The look of relief on her face mirrored his own. The walkers weren't far behind, they needed to hurry. "Go, go," he rushed her, wanting her to climb up first.

Carol moved quickly and started her way up, stepping on the boards nailed to the trees. As soon as she was part way up Daryl was right behind her, until they were both sitting on the sturdy platform high in the trees - a tree stand used by deer hunters. "I would have never thought of this," Carol whispered as she tried to catch her breath. Her words were filled with gratitude and she looked impressed even through her exhaustion from the run.

Daryl held a finger to his lips and whispered, "They're coming." He got his crossbow ready, just in case, and watched as Carol pulled out her knife. He was pleased she knew that the gun was a bad idea, unless absolutely necessary. The massive herd of walkers was coming. He could heard the snarls getting louder and louder. There was no way they could reach them up in the tree, but Daryl worried they would surround them and leave them with no way to escape.

Daryl had an idea. It was a long shot, but if he could get some of the herd going in another direction perhaps the others would follow. When he saw them approaching through the trees he aimed his crossbow and squeezed the trigger, watching as the bolt flew through the air, grazing several branches and sending leaves and pine needles floating to the ground. Without even looking he knew Carol was giving him a strange look - he could feel it. All his like people had given him strange looks and he'd become very aware of when it was happening.

But when the herd started to turn and head in the direction of the fallen leaves he gave her a quick glance and saw that same gratitude amongst the relief. What Daryl didn't plan for was when half the herd turned back in the direction they had come. Something drew them away, or someone, but they were headed right back towards the camp. The herd was now split into two sizable and equally dangerous groups.

Daryl didn't want to look at her. He didn't want to see the disappointment in her face after a brief moment of relief. Had it been his fault? Probably not. Something had distracted them, whether it was a human or an animal. But would Carol see it that way? What if he had of just left well enough alone? Maybe the herd would have passed through without noticing them and they could have headed back to the camp. Now… they were stuck. There's no way they could turn back. The camp would be overrun once again, just like it was the night everyone else died. Everyone but… No, Daryl didn't want to think about the kids dying. Something inside him said with confidence that Sophia and Carl were still alive. They knew Glenn's fate. So that only left Shane. Could he still be out there too? Maybe it was him that had distracted the herd? Or maybe it was…

Instead of finishing his thought he turned his eyes towards Carol. She looked blank. Empty. It was far worse than the anger or disappointment he had expected to see. They were silent a little longer, making sure the walkers were gone before they risked speaking. "We should… uh… we should get going. Find shelter before dark," Daryl said, breaking the silence.

"Shelter? We have the RV," Carol replied, without looking at him. Her voice was as monotone as her expression. She knew. But she was deep in denial.

"You know we ain't going back there," Daryl replied.

"I am," she said, slowly getting to her feet. "Sophia might be there. Maybe she came back. Maybe she's there waiting for me. She's probably sad," Carol added. "She probably thinks I'm dead. I need to get back to her."

Fuck. How the hell was he supposed to deal with this shit? The woman was messed up. And he certainly didn't have the patience to deal with her being reckless and stupid - even if it was because she was grieving. "We'll wait a few days and then go back. Can she read? Maybe when we get back we can leave her a note somehow… if we gotta leave again."

"Of course she can read," Carol snapped. "She's 12. She's been reading since she was 5. She's not some white trash hick…" Her eyes widened as the words came out of her mouth and instant regret filled her eyes. "I… I'm sorry… I didn't mean…" Daryl felt anger swirling around inside him at the jab, but he calmed himself, deciding he would chalk her outburst up to grief and give her another chance. "Daryl… please… I'm sorry…"

"Whatever," he grumbled. It was the best he could manage. "Come on, we have to find a place to hole up before dark. Never know where that herd is gonna turn up." He started to climb down out of the tree stand and she followed him to the ground.

"I'm going back," Carol said stubbornly. "I can't… I have to…" Her eyes were pleading with him.

But Daryl couldn't agree. It was a suicide mission. She was just learning how to defend herself and there was no way in hell the two of them could take down a herd. "Come on," he said, hoping if he ignored her protest she would just give in and follow him. He took a few steps but turned back when he realized she hadn't moved. "The camp will be overrun. She ain't there and if she is…" He realized immediately that he'd said the wrong thing when her eyes welled up with tears. "Stop," he snapped, a little too loudly, causing her to flinch. He felt bad, but she was being ridiculous. Why her? Why did he have to get stuck with a grieving mother of all people left on this earth?

"You don't have to come. I'll go by myself," Carol spoke, as tears trickled down her cheeks. It was blatantly obvious she was terrified but he wasn't sure if she was scared of dying or scared of what she might find back at that camp. She looked angry as she wiped her cheeks and perhaps a little embarrassed. "Thank you for everything you've done for me," she added as the tears started to flow again. It was a goodbye. Maybe an eternal goodbye if she actually went through with it and found herself in the middle of that fucking herd.

Carol turned and started to walk in the same direction that half the walkers had went. Daryl watched. I should just let her go, she's being a stupid bitch, he thought. Would you leave if it was Merle? Daryl sighed angrily at the rational thought. No, if it was Merle he would at least make an attempt. So how could he blame her for wanting to do the same?

Besides, there was a bag of guns, knives and ammo in that RV. If they were gonna head out into the world they would need the weapons. Daryl decided the only reason he was going with her was for the guns as he jogged to catch up. "I'll come with you," he snarled. "But if it's too bad back there you gotta promise not to do anything stupid."

She looked at him with those big blue eyes and Daryl realized that she'd played him. Carol knew he wouldn't let her go back there alone. She knew he wouldn't leave her. How did she know when he hadn't even been sure himself? It threw him off and both intrigued and annoyed him.

The made their way back towards the camp, slowed by random stray walkers they had to put down along the way. Carol did quite well, stabbing a couple of them herself, pulling out her knife and moving out of the way as the body fell to the ground. She definitely had more potential than he'd realized initially. There was clearly bravery and courage inside her that he respected when she showed it.

Daryl knew it was hopeless as they got close. He could hear the loud hissing and snarling before they were close enough to the edge of the forest to be able to see the camp. His heart sank. As much as he thought going back was a stupid, dangerous idea, a part of him hoped there was at least something that would make the effort worth it.

They moved to the edge of the woods and peeked out. It was worse than he imagined. There were even more walkers lumbering through the camp than there had been the night before. It was too dangerous to even take one step out of the cover of the trees. He took a step backwards and touched her shoulder, hoping she would do the same. They'd seen enough to know it was impossible.

Carol moved backwards with him, but as she did she turned, and tucked her head against his chest, her arms around his body. Daryl froze. He didn't hug people - ever. Her body started to shake and he heard her whimper. She needed comfort.

So Daryl lifted his arms and held her tiny frame as she sobbed lightly against his chest. They didn't have time for this. They had to get the hell out of there before the walkers noticed them. But Carol was distraught. She was broken, hopeless, devastated… And he was the only one she had left - the last man on her earth. But it was the same for him. This woman - she was all he had. So he awkwardly wrapped his arms around her and patted her back gently. He didn't know how to comfort her. He didn't even know how to comfort himself. But somehow she seemed to relax against him and the sobbing quieted considerably. Daryl wasn't sure what else to do so he said the only thing he could in that moment as he tightened the hug, "I'm so sorry. So sorry." Slowly he released her. Daryl spoke gently as she looked up at him, "We gotta go." Carol nodded. She knew.


	5. Chapter 5

Carol didn't even know if Sophia had, or would ever try, to come back to the camp. She could be dead. She could be safe, miles off in another direction. She could be lost and never find her way back there again. But as she ran with Daryl through the woods, away from the camp once again… Carol couldn't help but feel like she was leaving all hope of finding Sophia behind. Her legs were tired and her lungs were burning but she barely noticed because the ache in her heart was the only thing she could feel.

Time passed but she had no sense of it. The only way she knew for sure was because it was getting darker. Daryl kept looking at her, like he was gauging her, but he rarely spoke other than to give direction as to where they were headed. But something about the way he eyed her made Carol feel safe. He was making sure she was still with him, making sure she was out of danger and she got the sense that he was actually a bit concerned about her well being. That in itself was comforting.

"Gotta find somewhere soon," Daryl muttered as they emerged into a clearing. It was slightly brighter out from under the tree canopy, but Carol knew he was right. They had to find shelter for the night before it was completely dark. Not knowing for sure where that herd of walkers had gone made it more important they found a safe place to sleep.

The scene before them was strange, but Carol quickly realized they had happened upon the remnants of a small military operation. There were 3 army Jeeps and a helicopter. Things looked very picked over, but maybe… Daryl ran for the first Jeep as Carol stood in shock. Could they have got lucky enough to find a vehicle? She realized quickly it was too good to be true as Daryl kicked the door of the third Jeep. "No fuckin gas," he explained bitterly. "Don't suppose you know how to fly a chopper?"

Carol shook her head. "Can we somehow get the gas out of it and put it in a Jeep?" She stepped over the body of a dead soldier and moved closer to him.

Daryl shook his head. "Even if we could get it out it's either aviation gas or jet fuel…" He seemed to be thinking as he spoke. "I don't know if the jeeps would run on that… Maybe…" Daryl started to wander around the chopper in the fading light. "Where the fuck is the gas tank?" He stopped and started to play around with something. "It's too dark," he muttered. "Let's get comfortable for the night and see what we can do in the morning."

Carol looked around. "Where… oh…" she realized exactly where they were staying for the night as Daryl opened the hatch on the chopper. It was actually rather brilliant. Carol climbed in and looked around. It was hard to see much of anything, but she quickly got the sense there was nothing in there to see. Someone had picked over the site, including any supplies that might have been in the helicopter.

Once Daryl was inside and closed the door any light they had left was gone. They were sitting in complete darkness and absolutely silence. It was so quiet her ears were ringing. "Are you hungry?" Carol whispered. "I have a couple more granola bars." It was more a of need to break the silence than the fact she was actually hungry.

"Sure," he replied. Carol dug around in the backpack and produced a bar. Her eyes were adjusting slightly and she saw Daryl was sitting closer than she'd realized. "Thanks," he grunted, taking the snack. She found another bar for herself and tore into it. Once this food was gone they were done. She chewed slowly, pondering that thought. Wondering what they were going to do. Daryl seemingly read her mind when he spoke again. "I can hunt. Tomorrow. We'll make a plan. Find somewhere to settle. But I'll get us food. Promise." He added the last word, slowly and carefully, but purposefully. Daryl was promising he would take care of her.

"Thank you," she replied. It was thanks for more than just feeding her. Carol was thanking him for everything he'd done for her since the walkers attacked and perhaps even thanking him for everything she knew he would do in the future.

They were quiet again, for a moment, and this time Daryl broke the silence. "You okay?"

"Not really," Carol admitted honestly. "But I will be. Someday…" Her voice drifted off. How far away was someday? If she was completely truthful with herself it felt like someday was about as close as never.

"We're gonna find her," Daryl said.

"Don't," Carol snapped. She didn't need false hope.

"I ain't saying it to make you feel better," Daryl snapped right back at her. "I'm saying it because that's what I believe."

"How can you know? How can you be sure? She's probably dead," Carol spat. Their voices were getting louder and echoing in the empty cabin. As her last statement echoed and vibrated Carol followed it with a sob. She said it out loud. Her worst fear, she spoke it and that made it real.

"I ain't sure," Daryl spoke, much softer. "And I don't know nothing. Maybe I'm just a fool. But there's just something telling me she's out there."

Carol reached out to him and didn't miss the way he flinched at first. Daryl wasn't used to being touched, she could tell and she understood. Maybe it was wrong of her to push him the way she was, but she believed him when he indirectly promised to take care of her earlier. She needed the comfort and he was the only option. Carol put her head on his chest and let her tears flow. She hated crying and she hated seeming weak, but she had to let it out. One day she would find away to pull herself together and nothing would break her again.

It took her a moment to realize it, but Daryl was holding her. He seemed a bit stiff and awkward, but his arm was wrapped around her and his other hand was rubbing her back gently. He was so complicated, yelling at her one second, and being a perfect gentleman the next. Carol was sure she would never completely figure him out, but the one thing she knew is that she would never be scared of him and Daryl would never hurt her.

Carol didn't realize how tired she was until her eyes started to close. She was comfortable, in his arms, but maybe he didn't want her there. She stirred slightly. "Sleep," Daryl whispered. He was giving her the okay to stay there and Carol gladly took it. She drifted off in a matter of minutes.

Carol woke to a blinding light in her eyes, giving her an instant headache. "Well, well, what have we here?" a strange voice spoke. Daryl jumped to his feet and started to reach for his weapon. "Wouldn't do that if I were you," the man said, lifting his gun and pointing at right at Carol. "Unless you want to lose the little lady here." Daryl looked at her and she could see the devastation in his eyes. He felt like he'd failed her, it was all over his face. She wanted to tell him it was okay, but she was too scared to speak.

Daryl held up his hands and backed away from the weapon. "Kick it over and start slowly putting your other weapons on the ground."

"What the fuck is going on over there?" another voice yelled. Daryl's eyes instantly widened and Carol felt her jaw drop.

"Just found a couple of lovebirds sleeping here in the chopper."

"Lovebirds huh?" the voice was closer. Carol could see that Daryl wanted to make a move, but he couldn't risk it. He had to be patient for just a moment longer. While they waited Carol wondered why this man thought they were love birds. But she understood how it must have looked with her asleep in his arms. They had stayed that way all night. "Let's see these…" he appeared at the door and looked in, his voice trailing off when he saw the two of them. "Well I'll be damned. Baby brother, get the fuck over here."

Carol watched in shock and disbelief as Daryl walked over to his older brother Merle and was pulled into a one armed hug. She stared at the contraption on his other arm - some kind of weird prosthetic with a long blade attached to it. Daryl had found his hand on the rooftop in Atlanta, but they had all assumed he bled out, and if he didn't there wasn't much chance of getting through the herds of walkers without help.

"What was your name again? Carla or something?" Merle asked.

"Carol," she replied, keeping it simple.

"Just the two of you out here? What's going on?" Merle said, releasing Daryl. He had a grin on his face and Carol didn't even want to know what he thought was going on.

"Herd, overrun the camp," Daryl replied.

"Well it's your lucky day," Merle said with a grin. "We live in a town. We'll take you there."

"A town?" Carol repeated in disbelief.

Merle led them outside, "Yeah, it's guarded, protected. We even have electricity, beds, food…"

"Merle," Carol asked timidly. She couldn't help but be scared of the gruff man, even if he was Daryl's brother. "Did you, uh, I mean, you didn't happen to find anyone else around here, did you?"

Merle eyed her and then looked at Daryl. "Sophia," he explained.

His eyes actually expressed a hint of sadness when Merle looked at her. "No Sweetcheeks, we ain't found no little girls out here." He surprised her by laying a hand on her shoulder. Carol tried not to flinch. She wasn't sure what to expect. Merle looked over at Daryl and then back at her. "I know what it's like to lose family. I'm really sorry."

"Come on," Merle said, both to her, Daryl and the rest of his henchmen. "Let's head back and introduce these two to the Governor. Get 'em settled in." The Governor? Carol wondered. Who was he?

"What about the chopper? Thought we were gonna strip it for parts, and try to get those jeeps back," One of the men asked.

"We'll come back another day," Merle snapped. "It's time to celebrate." He slung the arm with the blade over Daryl's shoulder and grinned. He seemed genuinely happy. "I found my baby brother."

Carol saw Daryl smile, but it faded quickly. She got the sense this moment was just as bittersweet for him as it was for her. She truly was happy he'd found his family. But there were two major things clouding that happiness. First of all she was jealous. She couldn't help but feel envious that Daryl had his brother back but her baby girl was still missing… or… And secondly, that look on Daryl's face all but confirmed something she was concerned about - perhaps Daryl was far better off… without his brother's influence.


	6. Chapter 6

_AN: Okay, if anyone is actually reading this - bless you. I chose to finish this one next because it was one that I already have an ending worked out in my mind. I know I'm really awful for starting things and not finishing them, but I am now committed to trying to work through most of the WIPs I have started here and deleting the ones that I don't think I'll ever finish. Thank you so much if you're reading and giving me the chance to finish this one for you. I greatly appreciate your patience. XXOO_

 **Chapter 6**

Daryl was lost in thought when they finally arrived at the town which was called Woodbury. He was still in shock that he'd found Merle and he was blaming that shock for not feeling as excited about it as he should have been. Merle was his brother, his flesh and blood, but Daryl knew they had never had a great relationship - still, he was family and not many people had family anymore. He glanced at Carol, who was sitting right beside him, crammed together in the back of the Jeep with two strangers. She didn't look good. He saw the look of envy in her eyes as she was watching him and Merle reunite and he'd responded to it with an intense feeling of guilt.

It wasn't fair that Daryl had found his brother after he'd already given up all hope of finding him. He'd already grieved his loss and accepted the fact he would never see Merle again. They were out looking for Sophia, looking for the child Carol was grieving and instead they found the person Daryl had lost. It wasn't right. He needed to talk to her alone. He needed to apologize. It wasn't his fault, but still… Daryl needed her to know he was sorry and he understood her pain.

"Oh my god," Carol whispered as they drove through the gates onto the main street of a little town. The gates were quickly shut behind them. Daryl looked around and saw they had people on top the fence on watch, but when he looked forward things looked… well… almost normal. There were people walking around, children kicking a ball in the street, what appeared to be little shops and apartments, laundry hanging on clotheslines… It was bizarre. He instantly felt chills down his spine. Something wasn't right, he decided. His gut twisted and red flags flew up everywhere. But he didn't know why. Daryl tried to shake off the feeling and he decided it was most likely because this was something he never expected to see again - people living a seemingly normal life. No matter how hard he tried to convince himself things were fine he just couldn't get rid of the inkling that something was off - way off.

It sealed the deal completely when they were introduced to the leader of the community who everyone called The Governor. He was polite and charming, too charming - slimy like a crooked lawyer or politician. Daryl knew there was something going on behind the scenes and he also knew his big brother was a part of it.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Carol," The Governor said, lifting her hand to his lips and kissing it. Daryl felt rage boiling up inside him, ready to boil over when he saw her blush. "Merle, you can show your brother around and make room for him at your place. I will give Carol a tour and take her to the last empty apartment." Before Daryl could even open his mouth the Governor slipped an arm around Carol's shoulder and started to lead her away. She looked back at him over her shoulder, just for a split second and Daryl was sure she seemed scared.

"Come on," Merle said, nudging Daryl. "We need to talk."

"About what?" Daryl grumbled, following Merle, but continuously looking backward to see where Carol was. Eventually he lost sight of her and it incited an unexpected sense of panic.

"Not here, my place," Merle replied, refusing to speak again until they were shut inside the little bachelor pad he called home. "You hitting that?" were the first words out of his mouth.

"What? Carol? No," Daryl shook his head. "Barely know her," he grumbled.

"Tell me what happened," Merle said, grabbing two beer out of the fridge. Holy fuck, they have electricity, Daryl realized as he took the cold bottle. Daryl quickly told the story of the herd, how everyone had died with the exception of 3 people that were unaccounted for - one being Carol's daughter. "She don't look like the type that can defend herself, you kept her safe out there, huh?"

"She learns quick," Daryl replied. Even though he hadn't let on he was very impressed with Carol's shooting and her ability with the knife. For a woman who had clearly never used, let alone held a weapon before she was doing really well.

"Yeah, but I know you Bro - you have a hero complex," Merle said. "And…" he took a swig of his beer. "You like her - a lot."

"I don't," he protested. "She cries all the time. She hugs me. And she knows what I'm thinking before I do. She… she… she's annoying," Daryl finished with a pout. He knew everything that came out of his mouth sounded just like a 5th grader with a crush.

"Fuckkkkkkk," Merle sighed. "It's worse than I thought." Daryl wanted to protest again, but he knew it was no use. He wasn't convincing anyone, not Merle and certainly not himself. "Sit down," he said, pointing at the empty chair with the blade of his home made prosthetic.

Daryl shook his head. "Nah, let's finish these and you can show me around." He was determined to find a distraction to get Carol out of his mind. He was already tired of both her and Merle calling him on his thoughts and feelings. Daryl had always wore his heart on his sleeve so it wasn't overly surprising for Merle to pick up on things, but he was usually good at hiding his feeling from strangers so he had no idea how Carol could sense things in him so easily.

They finished their beers and Merle took him on a tour. The town had everything, even a restaurant and a laboratory where some weird scientist named Milton was working on God knows what. "Merle," a man yelled, running towards them. "It's gone man. The chopper - it's fucking gone."

"What? Are you shitting me?" Merle narrowed his eyes. "You must have went to the wrong camp or something, must be two of them."

"No, it's the right place, trust me," the man said emphatically. "The chopper is fucking gone."

Merle looked completely perplexed. Daryl understood his confusion. They had only left there a few hours ago. The chopper was huge… there was only one way it could get out of there… "Fuck," Merle yelled. "The Gov is not gonna be happy." The man left and Merle was still grumbling obscenities.

"Someone flew it," Daryl stated.

"Must have… had to have gone East or we should have heard it fly over," Merle muttered, deep in thought. "That fucking tank was full of jet fuel… jet fuel," he snapped. "Who knows what we could have used that for…" He shook his head. "Whatever… I gotta go break the news to the boss man. You good on your own for a bit?"

Daryl caught sight of Carol out of the corner of his eye and was already moving in her direction as he answered. "Yeah, go ahead… I'll see you later." He jogged to catch up with her.

"Hey," Carol said, giving him a brief smile. "How's your place?"

"Oh, uh, it's fine," Daryl shrugged. Truth was, he hadn't even really looked around Merle's place. "Yours?"

"It's like my own little house," Carol replied. The look on her face said she was happy and grateful, but the look in her eyes was altogether different. She was sad, scared and she had the same apprehension about the town as he did. "The Governor seems nice…" her voice trailed off. When Daryl didn't respond, mostly because he knew he couldn't possibly think of anything to say that wasn't rude or cruel, she continued, "I have my own shower."

"I suppose we must have one too," Daryl replied without certainty. Merle looked clean enough, clearly he was showering somewhere.

"You don't know?" Carol asked, looking at him strangely.

"We didn't stay inside long," Daryl explained. "Hey…" he whispered. "That chopper… it's gone. Someone took it after we left. Had to have flown it out of there."

"What?" Carol gasped. "No way…"

They walked and talked a little longer. Just small talk. Daryl was too scared to ask anything deeper. He just knew something was off and he knew she sensed it too, but now that she was surrounded by people and safe behind the walls… she didn't need him anymore and he couldn't bear to hear that right from her.

"I think I'm going to go try out that shower," Carol said, stopping. "But, uh, Daryl?" He certainly wasn't expecting what came out of her mouth next. "Do you think maybe you could come over later tonight?" Her voice was soft and she looked shy and embarrassed. "I don't really know anyone and I feel… nervous… a bit scared to be honest."

Daryl bit his lip to keep himself from replying too quickly and to hold back the grin that wanted to explode on his face. What the fuck was this woman doing to him? "Yeah, sure," he shrugged, playing it cool. "I can do that."

They parted ways and he decided to go back to Merle's and see if they did have a shower, which of course he found as expected. Daryl took a long shower and then dug through Merle's clothes to find something clean to wear. The pants were a bit big, but once he snugged the belt it was fine. He used his knife and cut the sleeves off the shirt before putting it on. Being dirty usually didn't bother him much. He would head out into the woods hunting for a week at a time and come back pretty damn ripe without a care, but for some reason it felt good to get cleaned up and put on fresh clothes.

Daryl spent the next couple of hours moving around the town, trying to get his bearings and get a layout of the place in his mind. He avoided talking to people. All except a cute little blonde girl named Mika that he couldn't ignore. Damn, that child could talk. He finally escaped her just before dark when he went back to Merle's and suggested maybe she should go find her parents.

Merle came home shortly after him, just as he was about to leave to head to Carol's place. "Where you heading?" Merle asked.

"Just going to see how Carol's doing. She's still pretty upset about her little girl." Daryl used her grief as an excuse to visit, leaving out the fact that Carol had asked him to come by.

"Oh no… you can't go there right now," Merle shook his head. "The Governor is with her."

"What?" Daryl snapped. "The fuck is he doing there?"

"Looking to get laid is my guess," Merle replied with a grin. Fists clenched in fury Daryl headed for the door. "Oh no you don't," Merle said, stopping him.

"Let me go," Daryl growled.

"Shut the fuck up and listen for a minute," Merle snapped. Daryl gave him another couple of shoves as he tried to get by, then finally gave up and backed off, but he refused to sit. "Here's what you're gonna do," Merle said. "Take a chair and go sit by that window. You watch until you see him leave." Merle pointed to a window that gave him a clear view of the door that led up to Carol's apartment. "Then you're gonna go get her and I'll meet you at the back gate with a pack of supplies. You're both leaving."

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Daryl said, slowly sinking down into a chair.

"Listen Bro… this place ain't for you. You gotta go," Merle replied, sitting down across the table.

"But… but… I just found you," Daryl stammered.

"I know… I know," Merle nodded. "But listen D… you'll end up getting killed here… you'll get us both killed. You're too… good. Too noble."

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Daryl growled.

"The Gov… he's messed up. Fucked in the head," Merle replied. "There's bad shit going on here… and once you find out you'll either leave then or you'll resist and if you resist you die. So you might as well go now." He paused and then spoke again. "I fucked up a lot with you, I know that, but I ain't gonna fuck up this time… you gotta go tonight and you gotta take her with you." Merle looked serious and Daryl was struggling to comprehend what was happening. "You stay here any longer… he's gonna charm her and you're gonna lose her for good. Take her tonight and get as far away from here as you can."

Tears were stinging his eyes. "Come with me… come with us," Daryl said, fighting back the tears, not wanting his big brother to see him cry.

"D, come on… look at you… you know you're better without me," Merle replied. "I'm not like you. I ain't a good guy, but you can be. Let me do one good thing for you for all the shitty things I did when you were a kid."

Daryl didn't realize until he spoke that he had already agreed to leave. "What if she won't come with me?" he whispered. He had wanted to be out there alone. When it first happened he wished she wasn't there. She was a burden, someone else to look after and Daryl had resented that. But now… he couldn't imagine leaving this place without her.

"You convince her," Merle replied. "Whatever it takes… you convince her." He stood up. "Get your ass over there by the window and be ready to go to her as soon as he's gone. I'm gonna go get some things ready. Back entrance. As soon as you can."

Daryl set up watch by the window. His body was numb. There were too many conflicting emotions going on inside him so he chose to block everything and just focus on the task at hand. It was nearly an hour later, but finally there was movement and the freakishly tall leader came out the door, walked a full block down the street and disappeared into another building. Daryl waited a full 5 minutes and then slipped outside. He made his way quickly across the street and into her building. There were a few people wandering around, it wasn't like they had a curfew after dark or anything. But he still moved quickly, hoping to avoid attracting attention.

He bolted up the stairs and knocked on the door. Carol pulled it open, already talking. "Please, I really did have a nice time but I'm very tired… oh… Daryl," she gasped. "Come in," she said, looking extremely relieved. "I thought he came back. The Governor… he brought me dinner and wine…" Carol blushed.

"Shit, how much have you drank?" he asked, worrying she was drunk and it would be too dangerous to leave.

Carol gave him a strange look. "Only half a glass," she replied. She wrung her hands. "I… uh… I didn't like the way he was looking at me," she admitted. "I'm probably being stupid," she added quickly.

"No," Daryl jumped in. "You're not. Come on, we're getting out of here."

"What? Getting out of where? Why?" She took a step backwards and that made him nervous.

"Merle told me that we should leave," he explained quickly. "He said things aren't right here and the Governor is crazy… he's going to meet us by the back gate and help us out."

"You're gonna leave him? Your brother?" Carol asked, looking shocked. "He's family Daryl… you have family here."

"I'll have plenty of time to explain it all once we're gone. But we gotta go now, Carol, please?" he pleaded. The knots in his stomach were tightening and something told him that they needed to go as soon as possible.

"But it will just be us… just the two of us alone again," Carol whispered. "There are people here… it's safe… Why should I go with you?" She was trembling and once again Daryl was scared she was going to refuse.

"Do you trust me?" he asked, looking her in the eye.

He could see all her emotions, right there in the beautiful blue pools looking back at him. Carol stared at him for what seemed like an eternity and then finally she nodded. "I do," she said softly. "But Daryl… why? You could take off, leave me here… I'm sure you would make out far better on your own. Why do you want me to come?"

Words failed him - completely. And Daryl knew he didn't have time to sort out his thoughts and figure out how the fuck to answer her question. So he did the only thing he could think of to make her understand - he stepped forward, reached a hand around the back of her head and pulled her lips to his.


	7. Chapter 7

_AN: Awww I'm happy to see there are some of you still reading this one. If you had to go back and start over because I made you wait so long I do apologize. Thank you all so much for your patience, passion and commitment. To those of you in the US Happy Thanksgiving tomorrow. Enjoy the holiday with your families. To everyone else that has to work… it's only one more day until Friday :) XOXO_

 **Chapter 7**

Carol was frozen in shock, at least she thought she was until she realized she was already instinctively kissing him back. She also quickly realized that… she was enjoying it, maybe even more than she should be. She barely knew him… yet in the few days they had been together they had experienced more than many others would in weeks.

Daryl was leaving and he wanted her to go with him. Carol hadn't really appreciated the magnitude of it all until his lips met hers. Not only did he want her to leave with him - there was a pretty big reason for it… Daryl had feelings for her.

Carol didn't have time to think about everything she was feeling because the second their lips parted it was go-time. He drew back and searched her eyes for understanding. Carol gave it with a nod and with that they sprung into action.

She quickly gathered anything worth taking and threw it into her backpack. Daryl added several things that he had grabbed and they were off. "Stay close," he whispered as they snuck quietly down the staircase. "Hopefully no one notices the backpack," he added. Daryl paused at the bottom of the stairs. "Should uh, maybe make it look like we're out for a stroll," he said. Carol saw his cheeks flush as he offered his hand. Oh that kind of stroll, she thought, placing her hand in his, biting back a smile. This wasn't the time for teasing. "Ain't far," Daryl said, leading the way outside.

Carol followed, enjoying the comfort of having his rough, warm hand in hers. Her heart was beating wildly, stomach in knots. Clearly it could be bad, very bad, if they got caught leaving. That in itself was one hell of a warning sign. People should be free to come and go as they please, but that obviously wasn't the case.

Daryl led the way to an alley. There were a few others outside but no one seemed to notice them. Once they were in the shadows of the alley Daryl could have let go of her hand, but he didn't and she was thankful.

"Psst," they heard as soon as they emerged out the other side. Carol saw Merle waving at them by a gate. She also saw their weapons in his hand and hadn't even clued in that they were headed out there with no way to defend themselves. The governor had explained that they don't carry weapons when they are behind the walls and Carol handed handed over her only protection without a second thought. She wondered how long it had taken to get Daryl to part ways with the crossbow? Probably much longer because he was smart and instinctive. Carol knew she still had a lot to learn.

Merle handed over her gun and knife and she saw him give Daryl the crossbow and his own knife. "But ain't he gonna know you helped us?" Daryl asked.

"I'm a great liar, you know that. And…" Merle produced a pair of handcuffs. "You're gonna cuff me to the fence before you go." Carol smiled, Merle was a lot brighter than she gave him credit for. If she was being honest she had seen him as nothing more than angry, redneck trash, when they were back at the quarry. There was always something different about Daryl, no matter how gruff he tried to appear. It didn't come from the same place as Merle's dark side and it wasn't always there. There were times he let his guard down and Carol knew that most of it was an act with Daryl - likely his way of trying to fit in with his brother and keep the rest of the world out.

"You could change your mind," Daryl said. "Come with us…" Carol felt her heart start to ache for what Daryl was about to go through. To lose his brother, find him and then lose him again had to hurt so badly.

"You gotta get your ass outta here," was Merle's non answer. "Here," he handed Daryl a set of handcuffs. He reluctantly took them and chained Merle to the fence. "You're in good hands," he said to Carol.

Daryl looked away shyly. "I know," she replied, looking at her handsome hero. "Thank you, for helping us," Carol said sincerely. She leaned in and gave Merle an awkward hug and then stepped back. Daryl was still hesitating and Carol realized he was trying not to cry. "I'll take care of him," she whispered to Merle. "Promise."

"Get outta here," Merle said gently. Carol could tell he was emotional as well. "Remember all the things I taught ya," he added as Daryl took one step towards the gate. "Don't hesitate when you take a shot, only drink dark whisky and… never waste a hard on." Carol wasn't sure whether to cringe or laugh - Merle was truly a character. Daryl chuckled and took her hand again as they slipped away into the night.

They ran blindly for a while, trying to get as much distance as possible from Woodbury just in case the Governor or someone found Merle quickly. After about 30 minutes of running and walking rest breaks they stopped to catch their breath.

Daryl moved around behind her and started digging in the backpack. He produced a flashlight and turned it on. The moon was bright but the flashlight provided a much better path to follow. "What's the plan?" Carol asked.

"Merle said the chopper went east, maybe they know something… thought we would start heading that way too. But for tonight we gotta find a safe place to sleep," Daryl replied.

So far they hadn't so much as seen a house, cabin, barn, car or anything they could hide out in. Carol was tired and scared they wouldn't find anything for hours. But in less than an hour they spotted a driveway and followed it to a little house. There didn't appear to be any sign of people living there so Daryl tried the front door. It was locked so he smashed it with the butt of his crossbow. "Gotta make sure it's clear first," he whispered. "Stay here."

"Oh hell no," Carol replied, drawing her knife out of the sheathe and following him inside.

Daryl gave her a look but didn't protest. He banged on the wall and yelled a bit and then they listened… silence. He repeated the process again and still nothing. He shrugged and did a quick sweep of the tiny house - it was completely empty. "I think we're good," Daryl said and finally she started to relax. "I put matches in your pack," he said. "Can you get em out? I saw a few candles we can light for tonight." Carol took off the backpack and started digging for the matches while Daryl took off to find the candles.

It was ridiculous but him being gone for even a minute made her jittery. Thankfully he was back quickly with 6 candles, and she was waiting, ready to light them. With all the candles going and spread out around the room it was well lit. They were standing in a cozy living room that looked completely untouched. "How is this possible?" Carol whispered in awe. "We aren't that far from Woodbury… wouldn't they have found this place?" She looked up at Daryl.

He shrugged. "Guess they missed it somehow or maybe they ain't been in this direction yet."

"Will they come looking?" She asked, suddenly changing course, needing to get her fears out.

"Might," Daryl replied. "But Merle will see our tracks - he's good, maybe better than me… he'll make sure they look in the wrong direction." Carol saw the change in his face when he said his brother's name. She knew exactly how he was feeling because the hopes of finding Sophia were nothing more than an ember burning in the pit of her stomach. There was still a tiny shred of hope she would likely carry her entire life - however long that might be - but she was starting to grieve because she knew chances were this cruel world had taken her baby away forever.

"It's okay to cry," Carol whispered. "For him… he's your brother. He helped us but now… you might never see him again - just like Sophia." As she spoke her name Carol couldn't hold back her emotions any longer. "I'm sorry," she whispered through her tears.

"Don't gotta be," Daryl replied. Carol looked at him and in the flicker of the candlelight she saw his eyes shining. It was then she knew it was okay to seek out comfort and give it back at the same time. She took a step closer, watching his eyes and his expression. When it didn't change she took another step, and then one more. Carol slipped an arm around him and placed her head on his chest. It didn't take long for his arms to circle her body and hold her tight. With her own body shaking with sobs she shouldn't have noticed that his was too, just slightly. But she did notice and she hugged him just a little tighter.

Eventually they both regained control of their emotions and at that point the hug got slightly awkward. It wasn't an embrace of comfort any longer - it was different. Carol was hugging him because it felt good and she became aware of everything she was touching and all the parts of him that were touching her. She felt her cheeks burn hot and finally she forced herself to step away. "Maybe, uh… maybe we should sleep?"

"Yeah, good idea… we can scavenge this place in the morning before we head out," Daryl agreed. He looked around. "Well, there's the couch or there's one bed in the room over there…"

Carol chewed her lip. She was feeling extremely co dependent now that they were out on their own again. "Um, do you think we can drag the mattress out here…" she asked, giving him an apologetic look. "I just don't want to be in different rooms," she admitted with a blush. Even after everything that had happened that day she was still paranoid he was gonna get annoyed and ditch her.

"I could just sleep on the floor," he offered.

Carol smiled. "Might be the last time we get to sleep on something comfortable for a while…" He nodded and led the way to the bedroom with the flashlight from his pocket. Between the two of them it didn't take long to get the queen mattress out of the room and clear a spot on the living room floor. It was pushed up right beside the couch in order to fit so they would practically be sleeping beside one another. Carol found sheets and blankets and made up the bed and the couch. "Your pick," she offered when they were both ready.

"You take the mattress," he said, clearly still being chivalrous, although the couch looked pretty comfy too. "I'll blow out a few of these," Daryl said, moving to extinguish several candles. The room quickly darkened and Carol took off her shoes and then got into bed. It felt amazing to stretch out on a real mattress. It had been a long time.

He left a couple candles lit so the room was cast in a dim glow. "Night," he said.

Carol replied and then lay in the silence for a moment. She had a million thoughts going through her mind, but there was one thing she needed to get out before she went to sleep. "Daryl?"

"Hmm?" he responded with a grunt.

"I'm not the last woman on earth, you know that - right?" she said. There was this part of her that was sure his attraction to her had a lot to do with the fact that it had been just the two of them, out there on their own - like they were again then, but with no idea what else was out there. They had found a community though, and it was very likely there were many others out there too.

"I know," he said softly. "But if you were… I'd be one damn lucky guy."


	8. Chapter 8

_AN: Wow, it's been a week. A crazy one. This chapter, this fic… it's therapy for me. I know I can't expect readers to come back after I dropped it for so long but some of you have and I just want to tell you how much I appreciate it. This one feels special to me and I'm happy to be able to share that with y'all._

 **Chapter 8**

A smell woke Daryl up the next morning. It was a delicious smell and he was sure it was somehow part of a dream. He opened his eyes and saw that Carol wasn't lying on the mattress beside him. He couldn't help but allow himself a little smile. And then he almost laughed out loud because the very thing that was making him smile likely would have made him scowl only a few days earlier - or if it wasn't her. But right then he thought it was cute that she didn't want to sleep too far away from him.

He didn't dwell on it long because he had to know what that smell was and where it was coming from. Daryl jumped up from the couch and headed towards the kitchen. "Oh hey," Carol said brightly. "I was just going to wake you. Breakfast is ready."

Daryl's eyes just about bugged out of his head when he saw what was waiting. "You made pancakes? How?"

Carol sighed, "Well, they aren't from scratch like I used to make them." She held up a box. "But I found this unopen box in the cupboard… just add water," she shrugged. "Turned out pretty good I think." Daryl's mouth was watering and he felt his stomach start to rumble. He already knew that Carol was a great cook. She'd done some amazing things with the scraps they had at camp and the wild meat he brought back. "I even found some syrup too. Sorry, no butter though."

"How did you cook them?" Daryl asked, looking around.

Carol smiled and sat down. "Started a fire outside. Cast iron frying pan… a lot like we had back at camp." She was far more resourceful than he would have imagined. "Eat, before they get cold," she said, shoving the plate towards him after she took two.

After Daryl took one bite there was no looking back. "Fuck these are good," he muttered with his mouth stuffed full of syrupy pancake. He lost count of how many he ate but he didn't stop until they were all gone. "Oh God," he groaned. "Probably should have paced myself a little more." The last thing he wanted was to barf up all the deliciousness he'd just consumed.

"It makes me happy when someone enjoys my food," Carol said, looking at him with a grateful smile.

"Who wouldn't enjoy your food?" Daryl replied.

"Ed," she muttered, with a far away look in her eyes. "And when he didn't like it… things got ugly." Daryl didn't like the look on her face - so much pain. It wasn't just physical - it was emotional too, he could tell. And the emotional stuff was usually worse. The cuts, bruises, broken bones… they all healed. But the words… the way another person could make you feel so worthless and disgusting… that didn't go away. He knew. He understood.

"I'm sorry for what he did to you," Daryl said softly. "He deserved what he got." Carol nodded in agreement. "Ain't no one gonna hurt you again," he added, feeling the need to assure her that she was safe now.

She looked at him for a moment. "Daryl? Why did you kiss me yesterday?" He wasn't expecting the question and his face went instantly red. What the hell was she even asking? Wasn't it obvious? "Was it just to get me to leave? To… uh… save me from the Governor?"

He still wasn't sure what she was asking. Of course it was both of those things… but it wasn't just those things. Daryl was so flustered he couldn't think, especially with her looking at him so intently. "I kissed ya because I wanted to," he replied finally. "I needed to leave and I… uh…" Daryl blushed again and looked away. "I wanted you with me." He was afraid to look at her again, worried his answer was less than satisfactory.

Daryl waited for the barrage of questions he would struggle to answer but they didn't come. "Okay," Carol said. He saw her nod, seemingly satisfied with his bumbling response. After a brief pause she bit her lip and looked at him shyly. "I'm glad you did. I, um… I liked it." She didn't wait for any sort of response or allow the moment to get awkward. There was something special about Carol, about the way she could read him and how she always knew how to make him comfortable. She stood up from the table and started clearing away the dishes.

"Ain't gotta do that," Daryl said, wondering why she was cleaning up when they were just going to leave the already abandoned house.

Carol put the plates into the sink and slowly turned. "About that… I was thinking…" He could tell she was nervous to ask whatever she was going to ask. "Maybe we could stay here, just for a couple days," she added quickly. "You said you're sure Merle would lead them in the wrong direction if they did come looking…" Daryl gave a nod to confirm. "So what if we stayed for a bit?"

"I don't know…" Daryl started. He hadn't even considered the idea before then.

"We could take the time to really go through this place," Carol said enthusiastically, as she moved closer to him. "We can plan and sort… take things we need, come up with a game plan, decide where we are going instead of just wandering. And…" she smiled at him. "I can keep us well fed for a few days. There's so much I could do with the supplies here that I could never do out there on the run."

Even though he was stuffed Daryl considered how delicious lunch could be. If he could hunt and get them some meat too… He shook his head to clear his mind. Was this a good idea? Playing house for a few days? Why not? They didn't really have any other plans… and it would be nice to have the time to really search the place for supplies… "Okay," he agreed. "Two more nights and we hit the road."

Carol looked so happy and relieved that it no longer mattered if the decision was right or wrong. She was smiling and for some reason that was all that mattered to him. She really did have a pretty smile. It made her eyes sparkle. It wasn't until she spoke that Daryl realized he was staring. "So I'm pretty sure when I was outside I heard some running water. There must be a creek out behind the house. Wanna check it out? Maybe find something to bring back water so I can do these dishes?"

"Sure," he replied with a nod. They took a quick look around for something to bring back water with and found a couple of jugs. The house backed onto a forest and sure enough there was a creek running through it. The water looked fresh and clean, but they both knew the safest thing was to boil it first anyway.

Something caught Daryl's eye and he quickly stopped Carol and motioned for her to stay quiet. He handed her the jug he was holding and slowly took his crossbow off his shoulder and lifted it to aim. He didn't often miss and this was no exception. When he pressed the trigger the bolt flew and caught a big rabbit right through the neck. He watched it twitch a few times and drop.

"Um, Daryl…" Carol whispered. "That was a great shot and all… and bunny stew for supper would be amazing… but how are you gonna get it?"

He'd been so focussed on the rabbit that Daryl hadn't even realized it was on the other side of the creek. "Well fuck," he muttered. "I can jump it," Daryl said, when he realized it might be the only option.

"Okay…" Carol replied, crossing her arms with a little grin. "Can't wait to see this."

Daryl gave her a glare. She was teasing him and he liked it, but he wasn't about to let her know that. He leaned the crossbow up against a tree and moved back to get a run at it. It's not that far, he told himself. I can do this. He started to run and skidded to a stop just before the edge. Carol snorted and when he gave her a look he could see she was trying not to laugh. He backed up and took a deep breath. No stopping this time. He ran hard and leapt off the edge. He went flying through the air and his front foot connected with the bank on the other side. Unfortunately the back foot connected with the water which completely threw off his balance. He landed in the creek with a splash.

When Daryl popped out of the water he didn't need to look to know Carol was pissing herself laughing. "Guess you might as well have swam," she offered, between snickers.

"Fuck off," Daryl snapped. It didn't phase her. She kept laughing and it didn't take long for him to smile. Her laughter was beautiful and it wasn't something he'd heard from her before. A giggle here and there, but a full on laugh… well, he was pretty sure she hadn't had many of those in her life with Ed. It made him feel good to know he'd caused it, even though he was dripping wet from head to toe.

He climbed out and grabbed the rabbit and then jumped back into the creek and waded across to the other side. Carol was watching him, biting her lip to control her laughing. "Did ya want a big hug?" Daryl offered, opening his arms and moving towards her.

"Nooooo," she squealed ducking away with a smile. "Just gonna fill up these jugs and we can head back." Daryl removed the bolt from the bunny while she leaned over the creek and filled the containers. When she was done he carried one, while she grabbed the other two and they headed back to the house.

Daryl squished and sloshed with every step. "Shut up," he warned, knowing how badly she wanted to say something.

"I'm sorry," she said, unable to hold back the giggle. "You really should have seen it… you were so determined," Carol snorted. "And you were so close… it was like slow motion… and then… plop."

"Plop," he repeated. "Plop, huh?"

"Yep, plop. I mean, it was accompanied with a splash, but I think it's best described as a plop," Carol giggled. He looked sideways at her as they walked and shook his head. Daryl had to look away because he was struck with the desire to kiss her. Would she let him? All soaking wet? Would she let him pull her against his body and touch her lips to his? It was all he could think about. When they got to the front porch he had his chance. "Wow those are heavy," Carol said, setting the jugs down and shaking her arms. Daryl set down his load too and moved closer to her. She froze and looked up at him. Those big blue eyes blinked so innocently. Daryl had a feeling she wasn't nearly as innocent as she let on.

He took one more step and she was close enough to reach. Slowly he slipped an arm around her waist and she didn't resist him. Daryl continued to look into her eyes as he drew her closer. This wasn't like him. Not at all. He wasn't the kind of guy who initiated things - not this kind of thing. He'd already done it the night before and now here he was - doing it again. It was confusing for him, but not confusing enough to make him stop. He knew what he wanted - he wanted to kiss her again.

Daryl bent his head and found her lips. This kiss was different than the first time. The night before he'd kissed her with a purpose. He needed to get her out of there and he was desperate to give her a good reason to leave and for her to know he wanted her to come with him. But now, there was no urgency. They had time. So he kissed her slowly. He brushed her lips gently, testing her boundaries. Carol's response was also gentle… at first. But soon she grew impatient with his slow and easy approach and her kisses became more eager and passionate.

Daryl felt her arms on his back and her body pressed against his. It felt so good. And again he was struck with a moment of confusion. He had never enjoyed or craved intimacy before. He didn't like others touching him. He didn't like touching others. So why did he love the way it felt to hold her? And why did he want her to keep holding on to him? Daryl really didn't know much about kissing either, but it felt natural with Carol. She wasn't doing anything to indicate that it was anything but good for her too.

He felt something tickle his lips and Daryl realized she had licked him. Without a second thought he allowed her to take the kiss deeper. Maybe it should have been him. He'd started it to begin with. Was she upset he hadn't taken things further? Daryl moaned as their tongues met and he forgot about all his worries and fears. He focused on her and the feel of her tongue twisting and gliding over his own. He couldn't remember his body feeling so hot on the inside, like a raging fire was burning him up. And it didn't take much longer for his dick to remember what it was supposed to be doing when a kiss got that hot and heavy.

Shit, he thought. He didn't want to stop, but he knew if he didn't he was going to have an embarrassing situation to deal with. Reluctantly he pulled away, gasping slightly as if he needed air.

Carol leaned her forehead against his chest and almost instantly pulled it back. "You're soaked," she said, looking up at him with a pout.

He let go of her and watched as her shirt stuck to his when she moved back. "So are you," he replied with a smirk.

"Indeed," Carol said looking down. Daryl couldn't help but stare at the way the wet shirt was clinging to her breasts. He was pretty damn sure he could see the outline of her nipples. He had to look away so he moved his eyes to her face which only made it worse because he could tell she knew where he'd just been looking. But the good thing… those eyes were sparkling again. "I'm gonna go see if I can find us some dry clothes," she said, backing away slowly. She turned and stepped up onto the porch and then looked back at him over her shoulder. And one last time, she giggled.

As he watched her cute little ass walking away Daryl decided that perhaps playing house with Carol for a few days wasn't going to be so bad after all.


	9. Chapter 9

_AN: Happy walking dead weekend everyone! The pics of Melissa and Norman in LA last night and today inspired me to finish up this chapter and post it. I know people are often too busy to read on the weekend, but for those who do get a chance - I hope you enjoy and don't be mad for the ending, just look forward to the next chapter :)_

 **Chapter 10**

As Carol strolled inside the house to look for dry clothes she couldn't wipe the smile off her face. It felt good, but there was a bit of guilt she couldn't shake. How could she allow herself to feel so… happy… when she'd lost her baby girl not that long ago? Sophia had been the only one in her life who could bring out a true, genuine smile - with ease. She only had to look at her, or hear her laugh and it made her heart swell. Sophia was the only bright light Carol had in her world for so long and now she was gone. It should have been nothing but darkness, yet here she was… with Daryl… and she was smiling.

Not only was she smiling, but Carol had a feeling inside her that she could barely remember feeling before. Maybe she never had felt that way before at all… Ed had been charming for a time and she'd fallen in love with him. When it was good, it was really good. But it hadn't taken long for him to show his true colors and it was hard to remember how it felt at the start.

Ed was the only man she'd been with. Together from high school. She'd never had the chance to feel those first flutters of being attracted to someone with anyone but her dead husband. Now she had these feeling bouncing around inside her that were new and exciting, but they had come at the worst possible time - a time when she should have been still grieving. Or maybe it was the best possible time? Maybe this was exactly what she needed so she wouldn't fall into a deep pit of sadness.

Give me a sign, she prayed silently. Carol was hoping for something, anything, to let her know it was okay. It took a while, but her sign came when she found dry clothes and started to change. She went to take off her pants and realized there was something in the pocket. Carol dug it out and tears stung her eyes, but still - she smiled. It was one of Sophia's hair ties and it had a little heart on it. She'd been wearing the same pants for several days and never noticed it there before. She looked up and whispered, "Thank you."

Luckily, the woman who had lived in the house wore almost the same size as her so the clothes fit well. Carol pulled on a pair of jeans that were just slightly too tight, but nothing that wouldn't stretch out soon. Then she started to look through the closet for a shirt. She stopped at a beautiful little cocktail dress and touched the silky material. Carol was struck with the desire to try it on. She knew she should have found a shirt and then went looking for something for Daryl to wear, but instead she stripped off her clothes and pulled the dress over her head. It tied around the neck so she had to remove her bra too. She got everything situated and headed for the mirror.

Carol peeked at her image and gasped. The dress fit her perfectly, hugging every curve. It even made her boobs look bigger somehow. With a little smile she ducked back into the closet and pulled out a pair of black stilettos. They were a size too big, but she put them on anyway and did up the sexy straps around her ankles. She wobbled her way back to the mirror hoping she didn't break her ankle on the way. She almost giggled at how ridiculous she must have looked trying to walk in 4 inch heels.

"Got dinner plans?" a voice said from the doorway, startling her.

Carol turned and blushed bright red. Busted. She smiled sheepishly and gave him a demure smile. But she quickly noticed Daryl's eyes wandering over her body and she couldn't resist spinning slowly. "You like?" she asked, over her shoulder.

Daryl snorted. She didn't know exactly what that sound meant, but the look on his face told her it was some type of compliment. Her heart gave a little flutter, just like it had when he kissed her earlier. "Find me anything to wear yet?" he asked in a teasing tone. "No way in hell I'm putting on a suit… so don't get any cute ideas."

"I wouldn't dream of asking you to wear a suit," Carol drawled, rolling her eyes. "Come pick something," she said, taking a couple slow steps, trying to make it seem like she knew how to walk in a pair of heels.

"You're gonna kill yourself in those things," Daryl said, looking at her - clearly amused.

"I'm jus fi…" Carol proved she wasn't fine at all as she stumbled. Daryl moved quick and caught her before she fell. His wet clothes were touching a lot of bare skin. It should have felt cold but instead she felt warm. Hot even. "Thanks," she whispered, looking up at him. Will he kiss me again? She wondered, hoping he would.

"Don't want you to get all wet again," he said softly, standing her upright then backing away. Dammit, Carol thought, not giving a crap if she got soaked. "Maybe you should take those off," he suggested with a chuckle.

She bent over to work on the straps and she was 99% sure she heard him groan. Carol allowed herself a private smile, thinking how easy it would be to seduce Daryl. If she wanted him… it wouldn't take much effort at all to get him. Did she want him? The heat inside her screamed yes. But her annoying nagging mind was coming up with all kinds of reasons that she should keep her distance.

Carol got the shoes off and then went into the closet to find clothes for Daryl. "Here, try these," she said handing him a pair of jeans. They looked like they might be a little bit too big, but Daryl's usual pants were baggy anyway. She grabbed a short sleeved, button up dark plaid shirt and handed it to him. It looked like something he might wear. She moved out into the bedroom and pulled open a drawer. "Boxers or briefs?" she asked with a chuckle as she held up his options - a grey pair of fruit of the loom boxer briefs and a pair of black silk boxers with yellow smiley faces all over them.

Daryl gave her a look and snatched the fruit of the loom. Carol tossed a pair of socks at him, "Once I change I'll dig around and see if there are any shoes that might fit you. What size?"

"10," Daryl replied. "I'll go change in the bathroom."

Once he was gone she quickly got dressed in the jeans and hoodie she found in the closet. Carol hung the dress back up wishing it was a different world where she had somewhere to wear it. She started digging through the footwear in the huge walk in closet. The men's shoes were all 11s. She found a pair that looked durable and realized they were harley davidson boots. When she started going through the women's boots she found a couple pairs of ladies Harley boots and 5 pairs of funky looking Doc Marten's. "Who needs this many pairs of boots?" she wondered out loud. But she had lots of options. She opted for a high brown pair of Docs that were intentionally scuffed. Carol put on two pairs of socks so the boots would fit better and tied them up. It felt really good to get into clean, dry clothes. The clothes were a lot nicer than her own had been, probably way more expensive.

When Daryl came out of the bathroom she had to laugh. He'd used his knife to cut the sleeves off the shirt, so the new outfit really didn't look much different than what he'd taken off. He definitely had his own sense of style that even designer jeans and an Abercrombie shirt couldn't change. "Harley boots," she said, handing over the black leather boots. "Size 11."

"Hmm, they should work," he said inspecting them. Carol realized they were both way out of their comfort zone in the clothes they were wearing. Whoever had lived there before had a very expensive sense of style. Everything she found in the closet was designer, even the cute lace panties she had put on. Unfortunately the braziers weren't even close to her size so she was stuck with the slightly damp one she already had. It felt weird wearing someone else's clothes, but they were clean and dry - that was the important thing.

The rest of day flew by. They stayed mostly inside, but went their separate ways. Carol took the kitchen and went through all the cupboards. She made a pile of everything they could take with them that would last a while, but it was likely going to have to be pared down to an amount they could actually carry. Once she was done that she decided to cook for a while. She always did her best thinking when she was in the kitchen working away.

The appliances were all electric so she had to start up the fire outside again. While she was experimenting with a couple different kinds of fried biscuits Daryl cleaned the rabbit and brought her the meat. Even though the bunny had been fairly large there was just enough meat to make a nice stew. She grabbed a big pot, some canned veggies, a couple packs of gravy mix and went to work.

By late supper time, when the sun was setting, she not only had a wonderful meal for them to eat, but she'd had plenty of time to think about what had been playing in her mind earlier - whether or not she wanted to have sex with Daryl. She had weighed the pros and cons and went back and forth on her decision, but what it boiled down to were two things - one, they were only staying in the safety of the house for one more day. Once they left and headed back out into the danger… who knew how long they would survive. The fact of the matter was - she was attracted to Daryl and she found herself turned on every time she looked in his direction. If there was a chance they could die any day… why not satisfy each other's needs in the meantime? The second thing was also related to dying - Carol didn't want to go without ever knowing what it was like to be with a man other than Ed. She wanted to know what it was like to have sex with another man, but not just any man - a man who was truly a good person, who cared about her and took care of her. Daryl was a protector. Ed was an abuser. They were complete opposites and Carol had to know what it was like to be with a man who was innately good - not a monster.

The fact that she had developed feelings for him in only the short time they had spent together and the fact that he clearly had feeling for her too made Carol feel a lot more confident in her decision. But even through dinner and cleaning up afterwards she still had moments where she questioned herself. Was she using Daryl? Was she being selfish? Carol looked over at his handsome face and he caught her eye, but this time she didn't look away. He'd kissed her twice and the look she saw on his face said he would gladly do it again. No, she decided, she wasn't being selfish because Daryl wanted it every bit as much as she did.

Carol quickly averted her eyes. It wasn't time yet. She'd planned it and this wasn't where it was supposed to start. She yawned and even though it had started off as fake by the time she was done it was real. "It's getting late," she said. "Maybe we should call it a night?"

"Yeah, we should," Daryl agreed.

They headed from the kitchen into the living room where their beds were set up. They'd been sleeping in their clothes most nights, but Carol had a different plan in mind. She quickly kicked off the boots and before Daryl could blow out any of the candles she pulled off her shirt. "It's warm in here tonight," she commented. Her voice caused him to turn and he froze, watching her slip out of her jeans.

"What… what are you doing?" he stammered.

"It's hot in here," she said. "And I thought it might be more comfortable to sleep without all those clothes on," Carol shrugged. She turned and bent over to pull back the covers, giving him a full view of the panties along with a good amount of ass that they didn't cover.

"Sweet Jesus," she heard him mutter. She had to bite her cheek to keep from laughing. This is just way too easy she thought. Carol climbed into her bed while the room grew darker. He left two candles lit to give them just a little light and then he was beside her, lying up on the couch.

For the first time since she decided she was going to seduce him Carol felt nervous. A million doubts were running through her mind, mostly centered around her lack of experience with more than one man. But how long had it been since he'd been with anyone? Daryl really wasn't in any position to be picky. Neither was she, but even if she was… she knew he was a good choice for her.

Carol calmed herself with a deep breath, then reached up and felt for his hand. "Hmm?" he grunted when she took it.

She linked her fingers through his and then gave him a tug. "Come down here," she said softly.

"Oh… um… okay…" he mumbled. She pushed back the blanket to let him in and then covered them both once he joined her. Carol rolled and propped herself up on his chest. She touched a piece of his short hair and then gently brushed his cheek. "What's going on?" Daryl asked, looking a bit scared.

Carol slipped a leg over his body and straddled him. She sat up and reached around to undo her bra. When she pulled it away she could feel him squirm under her. "Make love to me Daryl," she whispered, lifting one of his hands to her breast. Daryl looked at her, but didn't say a word. It made her nervous. "Don't you… don't you want to?" she asked, her heart starting to beat faster with worry.

"Course I do," he replied quickly. "But… I… Uh… are you… um… are you sure?" His perfect little face was so filled with concern. She was being a naughty little minx and here he was - a perfect gentleman. Carol didn't answer him, instead she bent her head down and this time… she kissed him.


	10. Chapter 10

_AN: Sorry if the spacing is messed up a bit. I'm posting this from my phone. Hope you guys enjoy some fluffy smut:)_

 **Chapter 10**

"Take your clothes off," Carol whispered, slipping off him. While Daryl was undressing she wiggled out of her panties so she was completely naked. He threw articles of clothing out from under the blanket as she watched with anticipation. He hesitated with his shirt but eventually pulled it off too. Immediately she had to touch his chest, she couldn't resist. It was hard, warm, with just a little patch of hair and the rest was smooth.

Carol put her hand on his heart. It was hammering against her palm and she looked up at him. "Me too," she said, lifting his hand and placing it on her chest. The air was a bit chilly and she felt goosebumps prickle her skin, but she was pretty sure it was more from Daryl's shaky hand touching her than the temperature of the room. He was really, really nervous and she had no idea how to take it because she wasn't expecting it from him. Daryl was so complex, but she really thought he would be eager and confident in bed, even though he sometimes seemed very shy.

"Are you okay?" she asked, picking up his hand off her heart and holding it in hers. "We really don't have to do this…"

"No," he cut her off. "I want to. I just… well… It's, uh… been a long time…"

Carol assumed he meant that he was worried he wouldn't last so she assured him she didn't mind. "It's okay," she said gently. "I understand and well… we can always…" Carol gave him a flirty smile. "Do it again." They hadn't even started and she was already talking about round 2. She hoped she wouldn't scare him.

Daryl surprised her again with a genuine smile, but it was a shy smile that was incredibly sexy. She slid closer to him until their legs were touching under the blanket. She reached for his chest again and slowly trailed her fingers down the middle, lower and lower… over his abs and his belly button… lower… until the feel of the hair changed and finally she found his penis and wrapped her hand around it.

Carol felt her body react when she felt how hard he was. She lightly stroked him from base to tip and she quivered with desire as he groaned. Their eyes met and she felt him throb in her hand. She licked her lips and Daryl moaned. The next thing she knew his mouth was on one of her nipples and Carol sighed with pleasure. It felt so good she couldn't focus and she let go of his dick, moving her hands to his hair as she arched into him. "Mmm," she moaned, far louder than she'd intended. Daryl sucked harder and she gasped, arching even more. She could feel his erection brushing the inside of her thigh and it made her crave him even more.

Whether this thing ended up being 30 seconds or 30 minutes… it was going to be pure bliss. Carol was so turned on she started to squirm. Daryl moved to the other nipple and within a few seconds of his hot, wet mouth sucking hard she was panting. She leaned back further, pulling away from him to lay on the bed. As she lay back she moved her legs so one was on each side of his body, letting him know she was both willing and ready.

Daryl froze and Carol got instantly worried he wasn't going to go any further. She didn't want to pressure him into anything he didn't want to do, but he'd already said he wanted to… "It's okay," she said softly, reaching for his hand. She linked their fingers again and urged him forward. He moved as if he was in slow motion and the anticipation was enough to kill her. Her legs were spread and she knew she was wet, really, really wet.

Daryl paused, the tip of his hard shaft barely an inch from her pussy. It was taking everything she had to just wait as her body heaved up and down and dizziness threatened to overcome her. She watched as he reached down and lined up his cock. See Daryl touching himself like that was so erotic she groaned and Carol wished he would stroke himself a couple times. But that would only prolong what she really wanted and what he finally gave her. Carol whimpered with the slightest penetration and as he slowly pushed inside her she wanted to scream.

It felt so incredible as he filled her up, his dick so deep inside her. This was a great idea, Carol decided, complimenting herself in the midst the intense pleasure. Her eyes were squeezed shut so she could focus solely on everything she was feeling, but after a moment she opened them, needing to see how Daryl was reacting to this new step they'd taken together.

What she saw sent waves of heat coursing through her veins, lighting her body on fire from head to to. Daryl's face was full of awe and intrigue, like being inside her was something brand new. She wondered for a split second if he was… nah, he said it had been a while, which meant it had happened before. But she understood the look on his face because this was something completely new for her. To be treated so tenderly, and to have a man look at her the way he was… it was so special and something she'd never experienced before.

She decided in that moment that she would pretend that this really was her first time and that it was Daryl who was taking her virginity. She was giving herself to a man who deserved it. A good man. A kind and caring man. Her hero. Maybe it was silly, but the emotional mindset she'd put herself in made the experience somehow feel even better.

When Daryl pulled out and moved back into her once, just a single time, she felt tingles starting. Could it be possible she was that turned on? So aroused she was getting close to coming already? It's your first time, she reminded herself, letting out a deep sigh as he moved in and out again. Carol couldn't even remember the last time she'd actually wanted sex, let alone wanting it with the ferocity she did right then. And when was the last time she'd actually had an orgasm during sex? Usually she had to get herself off because with Ed she just wanted it over with.

Carol opened her eyes again and saw Daryl looking at her. His face still held that look of amazement, but there was something even more now. He looked like he was right on the edge, exactly where she was. She could tell he was barely holding on, using everything he had to continue without falling over and losing all control. It was for her, because he wanted to make sure she wasn't disappointed. How could he possibly think she would be disappointed?

Carol reached for him, wrapping her arms around him and placing her hands on his back. That's when she felt the rough bumps on his skin. Daryl froze and she felt his body stiffen. Instinctively she traced her finger along one of the scars, caressing it tenderly. Someone had done this to him. Someone had hurt him - badly. And she knew exactly what that was like. Carol leaned forward and placed a kiss on his shoulder. Then she found another scar and lightly touched it, feeling Daryl tremble as she did. With tears in her eyes she looked up at him. She hoped he would know what she was trying to say without words. She prayed he would know that she understood.

His reaction was unexpected, but it confirmed that Daryl got what she was telling him. He gathered her in his arms and pulled her up off the bed, holding her against his chest. He shifted slightly to get fully back inside of her again and then moved his hand to her hips. Then Daryl started to fuck her again and Carol was right back there, dangling on the edge of ecstasy.

She could feel his muscles working as he held her while pushing deep into her core over and over again. It was slow and steady, but it felt perfect. Perfect for the moment - perfect for their first time. Carol touched his face, then cupped it in her hands. She still had tears in her eyes and she saw that he did too. The orgasm came fast and hit her hard. She gasped and whimpered as her body reacted intensely. She didn't realize Daryl had come too until she felt his lips on hers as he kissed her passionately and stopped moving. Her pussy was throbbing on his dick as their tongues met. Carol couldn't fight off the emotion and she sobbed, breaking the kiss.

There were tears streaming down her face. "Fuck, are you okay?" Daryl looked horrified. "Did I do something?"

"No, no…" She reached for his face again and caressed his cheeks with her thumbs. "It was… so incredible. It felt like… it felt like how a first time should feel." She kissed him softly. "I wish it really had of been you," she admitted. "Or someone like you at least," Carol added with a blush.

"Me too," Daryl replied. "I mean, you… for me…" he stammered nervously.

Carol smiled at him. They understood each other so well. She let go of his face and reached her arms around his body. She rubbed his back lightly. Carol didn't say anything. The fact that he was allowing her to touch him again, to feel the scars he'd clearly hidden for so long - it was enough. This was likely the reason they had connected with one another so quickly, even though she hadn't realized it until then. Daryl knew what it was like to be abused and they had a sense of shared pain from their past. That pain had shaped them both and only another victim of violence can provide true and honest empathy.

"Thank you," Daryl whispered. She nodded. He didn't need to thank her for her, but he needed to thank her for himself and she wouldn't make light of that.

She could feel his dick starting to slip out as he grew limp inside her. It was strangely sexy and somehow she found herself starting to get turned on again. Even if he could have fucked her again right away and even if it's what her body wanted - Carol knew it wasn't the right time. What she wanted more was to lay down, get tangled up in his arms and go to sleep. "Will you sleep here tonight?" she asked, wanting to make sure that he didn't mind.

"I can… if that's what you want," he replied in his low gravelly tone. Carol nodded and she reluctantly moved off of him to lay down. Daryl lay down with her and she put her head on his chest. He immediately moved to accommodate her, leaving their legs twisted under the sheets. It wasn't something she was accustomed to, sleeping with someone else holding her. But it felt right and she yawned.

Carol closed her eyes and she decided that if she were to die the next day she'd at least, finally, been to heaven with another person. Daryl was damaged and so was she, but in his arms she felt whole, she felt safe and she was perfectly content. She was pretty sure she fell asleep with a smile on her face and fairly certain it would still be there when she woke up the next morning.


	11. Chapter 11

"Carol. Carol… wake up," Daryl shook her gently. She groaned but opened her eyes. "Get dressed, quick." He was already scrambling for his clothes in the dimly lit room. He figured the sun would be up soon, but it was still completely dark outside.

"What.. what's going on?" She asked with a yawn.

"Just hurry," he whispered. "Someone is outside… I think they are gonna try to get in."

"Shit," she replied reaching for anything she could find to put on. Somehow the two of them got dressed and snuck into the kitchen with their weapons ready, moments before the door flew open.

Daryl turned on the flashlight in his hand and shone it in the eyes of the figure who just came through the door. "Hold it right there," he snapped, aiming Carol's gun as the person well. It was just easier than the crossbow in that moment. She had her knife out and ready along with a little tiny pistol they had found in the house the day before.

"Woah, woah," a man's voice said. "We aren't here to hurt anyone." Daryl didn't recognize the voice at all.

"Abraham, I told you there were people living here," a female latino voice said saucily.

"Rosita, be quiet, I got this," he said back to her. "Really, we don't mean any harm. We were just looking for shelter to get a few hours sleep before we hit the road again."

"Weapons on the floor," Daryl said, moving closer. The man had bright red hair and he was wearing army pants and a tank top. The woman had on shorts, boots and a t-shirt. She looked young. He noticed there was actually a third person as well, a really awkward looking guy with what appeared to be a mullet. The room got brighter and Daryl realized Carol had lit the candles. He watched intently as the man named Abraham and the woman named Rosita put their weapons on the ground. "You too," he said looking at the third man.

"Oh no sir - e - bob, I do not carry weapons," he replied in a weird voice. Daryl narrowed his eyes. "My only weapon is my mind."

"The fuck?" Daryl grunted looking at the other two.

"We protect him," Abraham said. "We're on a mission to get Eugene to Washington, D.C."

"What's in Washington?" Carol asked from somewhere behind him.

"That's classified," Eugene piped up.

"Shut up Eugene," Rosita snapped at him. "Eugene knows how to cure this thing. He's a scientist. We need to get him to D.C. with the information he has."

Daryl was skeptical. "What's the cure?" he asked.

"That's classified," Eugene said again. "This time it really is," he added.

"Listen," Abraham spoke up. "We really mean you no harm. We just want to rest for a bit. We had a truck but a bunch of biters came along and Eugene proved why we don't allow him to carry a weapon. Shot up the gas tanks," he said, rolling his eyes. "So now we're on foot… until we can find another vehicle."

Carol walked up beside him and they looked at each other. Daryl wasn't very trustworthy, but he did believe he could tell the good from the bad. If these people were evil they would have ditched the useless oaf that can't shoot a long time ago. Which meant that they truly believed in him and did want to get him to Washington. Carol gave him a little nod. She agreed they likely weren't a threat.

"Okay," Daryl nodded. "You can sleep."

Carol smiled at them. "There's a bedroom down the hall with a bed and there's another room, but we moved the mattress from it out into the living room… that's where we're sleeping," she explained. "So it might not be comfortable, but it's safe."

"We really appreciate this," Abraham said. Daryl could tell his words were genuine. "We'll just get a few hours sleep and be on our way." He hesitated. "Can we… uh…" he motioned to the weapons.

"Yeah," Daryl grunted with a nod. They gathered up their guns and the three of them disappeared down the hallway. "Well… that was…"

"Weird? Unexpected? Interesting?" Carol finished for him.

"Little of all three I suppose," he replied. She moved closer to him and Daryl realized she wanted him to put his arm around her. He hugged her against his side. "You wanna go back to bed for a while?" he asked.

"It's still dark out… so yeah, maybe," Carol replied with a yawn. "But once the sun comes up… I wanna cook a nice breakfast for when they wake up." Daryl gave her a look. "We have too much food to take with us," she shrugged. "I bet they haven't had a good meal in a long time." She looked really excited at the idea of cooking for a bunch of people and Daryl wasn't about to turn down whatever she ended up making.

They went back to bed. Daryl was going to sleep on the couch but Carol rolled her eyes at him and held up the blanket for him to climb in. He felt his cheeks get red, but he got in beside her. She snuggled close and her warmth had him asleep in minutes. When he woke again it was daylight and Carol was already gone. He yawned and headed for the bathroom to take a piss and brush his teeth. Once he was done he wandered outside to see what she was making for breakfast.

She had used the pancake batter and was making some sort of little fried biscuits. "Cornbread biscuits, sorta," she shrugged. "Should be tasty anyway." Daryl reached for one from the plate she was piling up as they finished cooking. "I'm only letting you steal that to taste test it for me," she warned with a smile. Daryl popped the entire thing in his mouth. As soon as he started to chew he groaned. "I'll take that as a good sign," she commented, adding more biscuits to the plate.

"Holy fuck, this is even better than the pancakes," he mumbled with his mouth full of the fluffy cornbread. He couldn't believe she could make something so delicious with limited supplies.

"I found some panko bread crumbs too and a couple cans of salmon. Not really breakfast food, but I'm gonna try to make salmon patties," Carol said, thinking outloud. "Hopefully everyone likes fish." Then she held up a can and grinned. "Canned potatoes. I'm gonna cut them up and fry them in this lard."

Daryl's mouth was watering already and he seriously considered making a lot of noise to make sure their guests didn't sleep too much longer. Carol knew him too well already. "One more biscuit, but that's all until everyone is ready to eat." He nodded eagerly and looked for the biggest one. It was gone in seconds. "So I was thinking about something…" Carol started.

"You wanna go with them," Daryl finished before she even had to say it. He'd actually had the same thought himself. There had to be a reason they were going to Washington. Maybe there was still some semblance of civilization there. But fuck, it was a long, long way. Would they even survive the trip?

"What do you think?" Carol asked "We have all these great supplies, but we can't take even close to half. If we join them that's 3 extra people to carry stuff. But… do you trust them?"

"I think I do," Daryl grunted softly. "I don't get any crazy vibes. And they seem committed to getting that Eugene guy to D.C." He looked at her for a moment and he realized that if he said no he wasn't being fair to her at all. Daryl was a loner, he'd been like that his whole life. But Carol deserved to be around people and if he had to put up with a few extra bodies for her to be happy - he would. "Let's do it," he nodded. "If they want the help we'll join them."

The smile on Carol's face told him he'd made the right decision even if it turned out to be the wrong one. She continued cooking and he hung back, just watching her. The night before was incredible. Sex had never been like that before for him. She was so gentle and patient, but it was very obvious she enjoyed it too. He had fully intended on waking her up with his head between her legs that morning, if it wasn't for their untimely guests. He wanted to lick her pussy so bad - he just knew she would taste so amazing. His eyes were watching her cook, but his mind had already stripped her naked and he was touching her sexy curves.

"Daryl… hey, hellllllloooooooo? Daryl…"

"Huh? Yeah, what?" he muttered, finally realizing she was talking to him. He couldn't hold back the blush and he hoped she wouldn't notice he was starting to get hard.

"Where were you just then?" Carol asked, giving him a flirty smile.

"Oh, um, I was just thinking what supplies we should take if we can take some extra stuff now." They had filled two packs with the essentials, but there was still piles and piles of things they had gathered they would have liked to take as well. "Did ya need something?" Daryl hoped he'd been convincing.

"Mmm, hmm," she said, giving him a look. She knew exactly where his mind had been because for some reason she could read him like a damn book. "I just wanted you to pass me that bowl," Carol said, pointing at the ceramic bowl beside him. She giggled and went back to her cooking. Daryl made sure to stay in the present the rest of the time.

About an hour later they were carrying everything into the kitchen table. Daryl heard Abraham waking up Eugene, "Hey, time to get up." Then the three of them emerged.

Eugene was still rubbing his eyes but the smell of the food caught his attention. He froze and looked at the spread on the table. "Well butter my buns and call me a biscuit, I do believe that is cornbread," he gasped in shock.

Carol chuckled. "Well it might be a little different than what you're used to, but this guy seemed to think they're pretty good," she said, gesturing towards him. He nodded in agreement.

"What is all this?" Rosita said in awe.

"I made breakfast," Carol replied proudly. "Come, sit. I hope you don't mind salmon."

"I feel like I'm still dreaming," Abe mumbled, taking a seat. "You are a freaking goddess," he said, looking at Carol. "Uh, I don't even know your name," he added.

Daryl hadn't even realized they hadn't made introductions. "Carol," she replied with a grin. "And that's Daryl," she nodded towards him. Daryl grunted an acknowledgement. Carol started to pass the food and they made a bit of small talk while they were eating. The group had been on the road a while. Lost some friends along the way. They knew they had a long road ahead but they seemed determined and confident.

Daryl glanced over at Carol and she gave him a little nod. It seemed like the right time to see if they wanted company. "You guys interested in a couple more helpers?" he asked.

"Shit yeah, you serious?" Abe looked thrilled. "You wanna leave this place?"

"We've only been here for a couple days," Carol explained. "We're headed west… but…" she looked at Daryl again. "We really don't have a destination in mind anyway." It was the sad truth. They hadn't actually talked about it, but they were really just wandering aimlessly. At least joining this group they had a goal and a destination.

"We would love to have you both," Rosita said with a smile. She'd seemed rather subdued, and Daryl thought she seemed cold, maybe even bitchy. But when she smiled it seemed to melt the walls she had up. Eugene didn't speak, he was too busy stuffing his face with cornbread and salmon patties. Daryl couldn't blame him - the whole meal was fucking amazing.

Once they were all finished eating there wasn't much left. Carol wrapped up the few biscuits and tucked them into her backpack. "I wanna head down to the creek and see if I can get a couple more rabbits before we head out," Daryl said. He looked to Abe for approval, unsure of when he wanted to leave.

He nodded. "Sure, maybe head out in an hour?" Daryl nodded back.

"I'm gonna come too," Carol said standing up. "There are piles of stuff we gathered in the dining room," she said, pointing. "It's stuff we thought would be useful to take and extra food we couldn't fit in our backpacks. You guys wanna go through it and take whatever you can carry?"

"Eugene, you're gonna have to take that Starship Enterprise model you were trying to steal out of your backpack," Abe said, giving the scientist a look.

Daryl couldn't help but chuckle at the instant pout on Eugene's face. He started to leave and could sense Carol following him. She didn't speak until they were in the woods. Anyone else and he would have told them to shut the fuck up because there was no way he was going to find any animals with the chatter.

"Are you ok? I mean… are we okay? After last night?" Daryl froze and looked at her. Was she really wondering if it had been good for him? "I just wanna… I wanna make sure you don't think it was a mistake." The uncertainty in her face was something new, but what they had shared the night before was also something new and something huge for them.

Daryl opened his mouth but couldn't speak. He didn't know what to say because he was sure the words would come out all jumbled or in the wrong tone of voice and he would end up freaking her out. So he didn't speak, instead he bent his head down and kissed her. Carol sighed and knowing her lips were parted Daryl slipped his tongue into her mouth. He kissed her deep and passionately, pulling her body flush against his. He was so turned on he could have taken her right there in the woods. She probably would have let him too. When they had kissed long enough that Daryl was certain he'd answered her question he broke away, unsure of what his raging hormones would make him do if he didn't stop.

Movement in the distance caught his eye. "Don't move," he whispered in her ear, lifting his crossbow with Carol still hugging his body. He fired a shot and hit the rabbit right in the head. "Got it," he said, looking down at her with a smile. It was the start of a good day.


	12. Chapter 12

The first day on the road with their new friends was rather uneventful. Carol spent a lot of time chatting with Rosita and they both agreed that it was nice to have another woman around. It was something Carol hadn't had much of in her life until the short stint at the quarry. Being around other ladies like Lori and Andrea had been new and exciting for her since Ed kept her on such a short leash. Then she lost all that and it was just her and Daryl. She looked over at him and her heart told her even if it was just the two of them forever - she would have been happy. But there is something special about having a female friend and Carol was pleased that Rosita, even though she was much younger, was there to fulfil that part in her life.

Abraham was a funny guy. Carol learned that very quickly. He was always ready with a one liner that lightened the mood if things got tense. But he was also extremely smart and resourceful. Carol knew that Daryl appreciated that and she could tell there was a mutual respect between them right away. It was rather amusing watching Abe try to talk to Daryl though. She knew first hand Daryl wasn't an easy guy to talk to and conversations were very often one sided. It wasn't that he was ignoring you, Daryl was a great listener, but he often didn't add a whole lot other than some well timed advice or short answers to direct questions.

Eugene was, well, different. That was the nicest way she could describe him. He was one of those guys that was just too smart to relate to others easily. And he talked - constantly. Carol was sure Daryl would be ready to kill him in a few hours, but she realized after awhile that if Eugene talked it meant Daryl didn't have to and he appreciated it.

Sitting in the back of a van they'd found Rosita finally asked about her and Daryl. "So were the two of you together before all this?"

Carol shook her head. The guys were preoccupied with some debate on weapons in the front and weren't listening to them at all. "No, it's uh… fairly new actually." She told Rosita about the quarry camp and how the rest of the group was wiped out. Carol left out the parts about her abusive exhusband just because Ed didn't deserve to be mentioned ever again. She also didn't tell Rosita about Sophia because she just couldn't. She wasn't ready to talk about her little girl yet. It had been a while since she'd cried and she still wasn't sure if she was ready to admit Sophia was dead or still hold on to that shred of hope.

"Oh wow… so fate threw you together, huh?" Rosita said with a smile once Carol finished her story.

"Hmm," Carol thought for a moment. "I guess you could say that." She glanced up at Daryl sitting in the passenger seat. He was really animated about something and it somehow made him look even more handsome. Rosita chuckling caught her attention. "What?" she asked, tearing her eyes away from Daryl to look at her friend.

"You've got it bad… it's sweet," Rosita said, smiling at her. "There's so much shit in this world now… it's nice to see people in love."

"You love Abraham," Carol commented. Her cheeks were flushed and she was getting the spotlight off herself.

"I do," Rosita nodded. "He's the reason I keep going after all the things I've lost. He inspires me," she said, gazing up at the red head driving the van. "I've never really been the romantic type, but I see now that love is why we want to live and why we want to fight." Carol nodded. "It doesn't have to be romantic love, friendship, a child, a sibling… but we need people. It's no life to be out there alone."

Rosita's words stuck with her and by the end of the day Carol was 100% sure they had made the right decision. Joining the other three gave them purpose and it just felt nice to be around good people again. There was this nagging voice in her head that kept reminding her that the more people she got close to the more chance there was for heartbreak when they died. But Carol pushed it away and decided she was going to smile whenever she could because the world was dark enough without allowing her mind to go dark too.

They ended up in an abandoned small town as night was approaching. It had been extremely looted and picked over so they weren't expecting to find supplies. They would need gas or a new vehicle soon, so they opted to find a safe place to spend the night so when they ran out of gas it would at least be daylight.

All the shop doors were damaged and many of the front windows were smashed in. They killed a few walkers that were roaming around, but thankfully there didn't appear to be too many. There was a little bar that still had the windows intact, but the door was ripped right off. "We could board ourselves in for the night," Rosita suggested.

"It's getting dark and we would need to search for supplies," Abe replied. None of them had seen the sense of adding a hammer and nails to their pack in the place of food, blankets and weapons. "I have an idea," he said with a grin. "Hold on tight." Carol gripped the seat and watched while Abe maneuvered the van right in front of the door, effectively blocking the entrance. He rolled down the window and locked all the doors. Abe took the keys out of the ignition and then threw his pack out the window. "In we go," he said, slipping through the window to the floor just inside the doorway.

Daryl started passing things out to Abe and then he climbed out too, followed by Eugene (which was possibly the funniest thing Carol had ever seen) and then Rosita. Carol moved up to the front. Daryl was waiting, but the others had already gone to explore a bit. She stuck her legs through the window and then started to lower herself to the ground. It was a long way down as the van was high, but she felt hands on her waist, "Let go, I got ya," Daryl said.

She released her grip on the inside of the window frame and he easily lowered her to her feet. Once she was standing safely on the ground Daryl was still holding her. She instantly had flashes of the day before and her heart started to beat faster. Slowly she looked up at him and met his eyes. He was feeling the same thing she was, Carol knew with one look. They hadn't been alone all day until that moment and now they were in each other's arms.

She had no idea how close or far away the others were, but she couldn't resist kissing him. Daryl responded right away and kissed her back eagerly, pressing her back against the van. Carol slipped her arms around him and pulled Daryl tight against her, as they took the kiss deeper. He made her feel so wild and crazy. He made her heart flutter and her body feel like it was on fire. He made her want things she hadn't cared much about for so many years.

"Ahem," a voice said from somewhere behind Daryl. Carol broke away and tucked her face shyly against Daryl's chest. "Don't mean to interrupt," Abe chuckled. When she risked a peek she saw it wasn't just Abraham but all three of them standing there looking at them.

She gave Daryl's hand a quick squeeze, knowing he would be feeling even more awkward than she did. "What's up?" Carol asked, turning her attention to the others.

"Well it's not gonna be all that comfortable, but we'll be safe," Rosita announced. "It's all clear."

"There are a few rooms, none with doors or anything," Abe gave her and Daryl a little grin before he continued. "Don't really see any supplies worth taking… was really hoping there was a bottle of whiskey hidden under that bar," he sighed. "But nada, it's been picked clean."

"I call dibs on the pool table," Eugene spoke up, holding up his hand. "Always wanted to sleep on a plush velvet billiard table," he added.

"Yeah, covered in beer and whiskey stains," Daryl muttered.

Moments later Carol realized that, as crazy as it sounded, Eugene actually was getting the best bed in the house. There was nothing that resembled a bed anywhere in the bar. The only other options were tables that were too small to stretch out, or the floor. Carol picked what looked like it was once a storage room and led Daryl in to drop off their things. "Guess this will do," she shrugged. "It'll be like camping again," she laughed, trying to put a positive spin on it. She knew they were actually lucky to even have any sort of building to sleep in. There would be nights they slept in cars and nights they had nothing but the ground as their bed.

"Got a blanket we can spread out," Daryl replied, pulling it off the side of his pack where it was attached. "We can use yours to cover with." Carol nodded and undid the clasps to release the blanket she had brought. They set up their makeshift bed and then joined the others in the main bar area to eat. Eugene had lit some candles from his pack and they opened the extra bag of food supplies that Abe had carried until they found the van. He knew it wouldn't be long before the food was gone anyway, and thought it would be handy to have the extra pack for anything else they might find.

Dinner was canned fruit, stale granola bars and leftover biscuits. They would have to save some of the other stuff for when they ate outside and could start a fire. They ate quietly and Carol looked around at each of her companions in the flickering light. It was only day one - but it was a good day. She felt content and happy - as long as she kept Sophia out of her mind.

"We'll head out a first light," Abe announced. Carol had no idea how long this trip was going to take them, but she knew they had covered a lot of distance that day. They weren't always going to have a vehicle or could reach areas that were impassible with a car and that would slow them tremendously. Make hay while the sun shines, she thought.

Eugene headed towards his pool table bed and as Carol was getting up Rosita came over to her. "Hey, just to warn you…" she whispered, cocking her head in Eugene's direction. "He, uh… he likes to watch." Carol's eyes widened. "So if you two are planning on getting freaky… just be prepared."

"Thanks for the tip," she said, looking in Eugene's direction. He was such a strange dude, but she really hadn't pegged him for a voyeur.

Sure enough, about an hour later Carol realized Rosita was right. There was a shadow in the doorway and she knew without looking closely that the shadow had a mullet. He was getting a full view of Daryl's ass, but she was mostly covered by Daryl's body. If Daryl turned his head slightly he would see the figure watching them and Carol knew that wouldn't end well. In fact, it would be bad, very bad.

How much can he really see in the dark anyway? she thought. "I wanna go on top," Carol whispered. Daryl gave her a bit of a curious look, but he pulled out and started to move. Carol grabbed his head and shoved his face into her cleavage while she maneuvered him blindly. She really hoped he wouldn't notice that she was acting strange, but he seemed to be too preoccupied with her boobies to care anyway.

Once she had him lying down in a direction that blocked his view to the door she straddled him. Her view of the doorway was also obstructed at that point and even though she knew he was there and could feel eyes on them, Carol decided to ignore the peeping Tom and make sure the sex was amazing for both of them. She was trying to hard to be quiet, but when she lifted herself up and slipped the tip of his cock inside her Carol moaned. If Abe and Rosita were awake down the hall they probably heard her, but she didn't care. It felt too good.

When he was fully inside her Carol closed her eyes. She sat up high with one hand on his chest and slowly she started to ride him. She heard Daryl moan in pleasure and her heart thudded in response. His dick felt so good inside her, slipping in and out as she moved, but it was the little groans and sighs that came out of him that were making her so incredibly turned on. It felt amazing to know she was giving him so much pleasure. She was so wet already. So wet and so dizzy with desire.

Carol reached for his hand and guided his fingers to her clit. She leaned back even more to give him room and Daryl rubbed her lightly as she continued to fuck him. This was good. No, great. This was what sex was supposed to be like. She felt free and so crazy with lust for him.

She knew she was going to come, soon, so Carol bit her lips and squeezed her eyes shut, trying to keep from crying out. When the orgasm hit her she struggled so hard to stay silent, but she had to let out a strangled whimper. "Fuck," she heard Daryl hiss. She felt his hands on her hips and he started to fuck her from below. Carol was so lost in her own pleasure she just wanted to collapse against his chest, but instead she stayed up, waiting for him to finish, while enjoying the way it felt for her pussy to throb with him still moving in and out of her.

The second he finished she couldn't hold herself up any longer. She fell against him and Daryl wrapped her in his arms. "That was incredible," she mumbled sleepily in his ear.

"Mmm, it was," he groaned, stroking her back lightly.

Carol was lying there enjoying it when Daryl suddenly moved. "What was that?" he grunted. "There was someone at the door."

"Oh, uh, I'm pretty sure I saw Abe go by a while ago," she lied quickly. "It was probably just him going back to bed." Daryl didn't seem convinced at first, but she pulled him back down. "Come on, let's just snuggle up and get some sleep, okay? We might end up walking a lot tomorrow until we find another car." Slowly he gave in and laid back down. She tucked herself close to enjoy his warmth and pulled the blanket over them. With one last thought to the fact Eugene had now seen her naked Carol fell asleep.


	13. Chapter 13

_AN: somehow I missed a chapter. Blame the holidays lol. Hope this makes more sense now :)_

As she often did Carol woke long before the others. Generally she would get up, start a fire and fix something for breakfast, but instead she decided to just sit up and reflect on their journey. Not that they really had much left to eat anyway. There really wasn't anything other than chicken soup base and a couple of cans of veggies, which would have made a nice soup if they had fresh water to spare.

Supplies had run dangerously low about a week ago. They'd been lucky enough to find a stream 3 days earlier and Eugene developed a filtering system so the water would be safe to drink. But they couldn't spare what water they had left for anything but drinking. At least when the food was completely gone they could survive a little longer if they had water.

The journey to that point, which was somewhere in Virginia, had not been without danger and a few near death experiences. They were now somewhere so close to Washington they could almost taste victory - if they weren't weak and starving. There had been herds they had narrowly escaped, several in fact, there were injuries - cuts, bruises, sprained ankles, mental breakdowns and just pure and simple exhaustion. But along the way they had all become very close and they got each other through it.

There was a night that Carol broke down and told the others about Sophia. The further they got away from Georgia, the quarry - the last place she'd seen her baby, the harder it was for Carol to hold in the emotions she was feeling. Let her go, let her go, she's in a better place, she will never have to suffer the horrors of this life… that's what her brain was telling her, but Carol knew she would have given absolutely anything for Sophia to still be alive. Seeing a child walker during the day and realizing they were hundreds of miles from Georgia was enough to break her and sitting around the fire that night she let it all out.

Daryl supported her through the story, filling in the missing pieces when she was crying too hard to speak. Carol was embarrassed afterwards for breaking down like that, but she realized later that it needed to happen. She'd buried those feelings for too long and she needed to let them out. Daryl held her that night while they slept, all night. Anytime she woke she felt his arms around her and relaxed, falling easily back to sleep.

Her relationship with Daryl had got stronger every day - both the physical and emotional. They had sex - a lot, but that wasn't all their union was about. Carol was pretty sure she was falling in love with him and there were times she was certain he felt the same way. There were even a couple moments she thought he was going to tell her, but chickened out. She debated everyday whether to just admit her feelings or wait and let him be first. So far she'd held back, but she didn't think she could wait much longer. It reminded her of their first time, back at that house, when she realized they could easily die any day and she just didn't want to wait any longer.

Carol looked down at him, sleeping beside her. They had found a barn to sleep in for the night. It was actually the first time in a few nights they had slept in a shelter so no one had to stay up and keep watch. And it was the first time in a few nights they'd been able to make love. That was actually the longest they had gone without being intimate since their first time.

Carol almost giggled out loud at the chat she'd had with Eugene. She'd gone over all the details of a phenomena she called "Redneck Crazy" and explained exactly what would happen if Daryl were ever to catch him watching them have sex. She'd made her point and to the best of her knowledge Eugene hadn't risked Daryl's wrath since that first time. But he did inform her that she had a "fine female form."

She couldn't resist touching him even though he was sleeping so peacefully. Carol brushed a bit of hair off his forehead and Daryl eyes. "Hey," she whispered with a smile. "Sorry."

"It's okay," he said, smiling back at her. Daryl lay still and let her play with his hair a little longer. If he was a cat she was sure he would have been purring. She knew he hadn't been shown much affection growing up and Carol could tell that, now that he was comfortable with it, he absolutely ate it up.

Their moment was interrupted by what sounded like a knock. Daryl jumped up and grabbed his crossbow. She followed with her gun drawn. By the time they were in the main area of the barn Rosita and Abe were there too with their guns trained on the door. "Who's there?" Abe yelled.

"Hi. Hello. My name is Aaron. I come in peace. I just want to talk," a voice said from outside. The four of them looked at each other and they came to a silent agreement to open the door. But Daryl stood ready to train his weapon on the man as soon as the door opened.

"Arms up," he grunted at the man. Aaron quickly put his hands in the air and Abe started to frisk him.

"Gun's in the back of my waistband and there's a knife in the sheath on my belt. Those are the only weapons I have," he said. Carol watched as Abe grabbed both and then continued to frisk him.

Finally he nodded. "He's telling the truth," Abe announced.

"What do you want?" Daryl snarled. He definitely wasn't a people person, Carol thought, biting back a smile. But he was her grump.

"I've been watching you for a while," Aaron said. Carol immediately felt chills. This man had been following them? Watching them? And not one of them noticed. "Where's the other man? With the mullet?" Eugene appeared out of the shadows and Aaron smiled and continued. "I'm from a community. We have walls, big walls. It's safe," he said, looking around the room.

"What's that got to do with us?" Rosita said, eying him suspiciously.

"I've watched you long enough to know you're good people," Aaron explained. "You're strong. You're survivors. We could use people like you in Alexandria."

Carol's heart started to beat faster. Could this be real? Or was this Aaron guy just trying to lead them somewhere to be slaughtered? It's not like they had many supplies, other than the guns and knives… was that what he wanted? "How do we know you're telling us the truth?" Carol asked. "What if you just want our guns… maybe you're going to kill us."

"I have photos," Aaron replied eagerly. There was something about him that she trusted already, but she wasn't sure the others were buying it. "Is it okay if I get them out of my pack?" he asked.

"Slowly," Daryl snapped, keeping the crossbow aimed at the man. Aaron bent down and very slowly opened the zipper. He pulled out a stack of 8 x 10 photos and started to show them.

"See the walls? The gate? We have houses, running water… you can cook… we have supplies, lots of supplies - food, clothing, medicine and we have weapons and ammo too," Aaron explained. "We don't need your guns and knives, we have plenty. But what we need is people."

The five of them started to relax. Carol looked at the pictures and she believed Aaron was telling them the truth. But there was one problem and eventually someone voiced it. "Thank you for the offer," Abe said. "But we're going to have to say no. We're on the way to Washington. Eugene knows how to cure this thing and we need to get him to D.C." He looked at her and Daryl. "I don't want to speak for the two of you. You've helped get us this far - None of us would blame you if you want to check out, join this community…"

Carol was already shaking her head. "We said we would help get Eugene to D.C. We're gonna follow through on that." She looked over at Daryl for confirmation and he nodded in agreement.

"He knows the cure?" Aaron said, looking very mystified.

Abe nodded. "Yes sir. So you must understand our need to get him to the capital."

"The city isn't safe," Aaron started. "People have been heading out of the city since this thing started…"

"Thank you for your concern, but we'll find that out for ourselves," Abe interrupted.

"You gotta believe me," Aaron protested. "It's swarmed with the dead. It's not safe. There's nothing there anymore. Please… come join us, be safe. Help us build this community."

"You're probably just saying that to get us to agree," Rosita piped up. Carol felt sick to her stomach. What if Aaron was right and they were just walking into a death trap?

"Good luck with your community," Abe said, dismissing Aaron. "But we'll be headed to washington

Suddenly Eugene spoke for the first time. "We should go with Aaron to Alexandria." They all spun to look at him. His next words sent a shockwave through them all. "There is no cure. I lied."

"You have got to be shittiing me," Abe roared. Eugene was crying and he shook his head. It was evident he was telling the truth about lying. "I'll kill you," he yelled, rushing towards Eugene. Carol watched in horror as Abe landed a solid punch to Eugene's face. He crumpled instantly.

"Oh my God," Carol screamed. Daryl ran and grabbed Abe before he could attack again and both her and Rosita ran to Eugene's lifeless body. Aaron quickly joined them. "He's still alive," Carol said, finding a pulse. "Thank God."

"He won't be when I'm through with him," Abe spat. Carol turned to see Daryl still holding him back, somehow. Abe was bigger and he was furious, but somehow Daryl was keeping him at bay.

"Come on," Daryl growled. "Outside… now…" He yanked Abe backwards and he somehow got the steaming ginger to follow.

Once they were gone the three of them focussed on Eugene. He was out cold but still breathing. "What do we do?" Rosita asked.

"We have a doctor," Aaron announced. "If you agree to come with me Pete can help him." Carol looked at Rosita, they knew they had no other choice. Not that it mattered now anyway. The trip to DC had come to a screeching halt. "Even if you decide not to stay, please just come and see it. We have empty houses you can stay in… they could become yours... When Eugene is well again you can make your final decision."

"We'll come," Carol announced. She got up and went outside. "I told Aaron we'll come with him. There's a doctor there that can help Eugene." Daryl nodded at her and Abe just shrugged. He was devastated, but the anger seemed to have faded away.

Carol jerked her head at Daryl, indicating that they needed help with Eugene. They started to walk towards the barn, leaving Abe to pace alone and completely calm down. Everything that had happened in the last 20 minutes had left her in shock, but slowly Carol was starting to realize that they might have just hit the jackpot. She slipped her hand into Daryl's. "We're gonna get a house," she whispered with a giggle. "Our own house… I can cook… we can shower…" She glanced over at him. "Together," she added. The worry and fear, shock and distress faded from his face and Daryl gave her a smile and he squeezed her hand to let he know he was just as happy and excited as she was.


	14. Chapter 14

"It this real?" Carol asked, wandering around the kitchen in awe. "Seriously, am I dreaming?" While Rosita went with Eugene to see the doctor and Abraham wandered around pouting, Aaron had brought her and Daryl to the house they would be living in. It had 4 bedrooms so the 5 of them would be sharing it, but for the time being her and Daryl were alone to explore. Someone named Deanna wanted to meet them a little later, after they had a chance to rest and wash up.

Aaron had even had a young woman bring them clean clothes to put on. He said they could check out the clothing storage later and pick out several things they wanted. There was also a pantry and Aaron said to find Olivia later to get some food for their home.

"I ain't never lived in a place so fancy," Daryl muttered as he flipped the tap on and off quickly. The house actually was extremely nice, a lot nicer than the home she'd lived in with Ed that was for sure. Clearly someone around there knew a thing or two about interior decorating.

"Me neither," Carol replied, walking over to him. She wanted to make sure he knew she understood and felt a bit awkward herself. "But this place… it's ours," she finished with a smile. "Let's go upstairs and pick out our bedroom…or bedrooms," she added, giving him a look. She didn't want to be presumptuous, even though they'd been sleeping together for weeks, even when there were other rooms available.

"Bedroom," he replied. "I mean, if that's what ya want…" Carol saw the slight pink in his cheeks and kissed one of them. She loved how he was still a little awkward and shy, even after all the times they'd been intimate and everything they had shared. If she was being completely honest she really hadn't needed to ask about the bedrooms, she knew they both agreed they were an established couple at that point, but there was something different about living in a community and having the potential for social rules and normalcy. If they were a dating couple in their old lives they wouldn't necessarily share a house, let alone a bed. Oh well, she thought, this is perfect. She couldn't have imagined being separated, even by a wall and doors at that point.

"Let's take this one," Carol announced. "King bed and an en suite." Those were two things she'd always wanted and now here they were, being handed to her. "You know… it's been awhile since we've showered… ya wan…"

"Yes," Daryl replied eagerly before she even finished. Carol knew he didn't care as much as she did about not getting to shower regularly so she was happy he was so willing even if it had nothing to do with the shower itself, but what was inevitably going to happen between them in the shower.

It had been a long time since they'd actually really taken their time when they made love. Lately it had been quickies whenever they had a chance since they never knew when they might have a chance again. There was also the fact that they had never had sex in the shower before so it was new for them. They both got their bodies wet and took turns soaping up, but it wasn't long before they were running their hands all over each other's bodies instead of their own.

It felt amazing to have Daryl's hands slipping over her breasts as the hot water sprayed down on top of them. She had the bar of soap and she rubbed it over his chest and then down his belly and around to his ass. Carol soaped up his butt, enjoying the feel of it in her hands.

Somehow they managed to get through shampooing their hair and washing their bodies, letting the anticipation build up higher and higher. When Daryl couldn't take it anymore he grabbed her leg, shoved her back against the wall of the shower and shoved into her. Carol gasped at how quickly it happened after such a long wait, but it was immediately followed by a moan as he filled her up, finally giving her what her body had wanted for so long.

Daryl fucked her slowly as he kissed her mouth. She moved up and down with him so as not to break the sensual kiss. It was the first time in so long they really had the time to enjoy each other and they took full advantage of it.

After a few minutes Carol stopped him and sunk to her knees. With the water splashing in her face she took his dick in her mouth and sucked him. Daryl's groan echoed in the shower, even over the sound of the water. His cock was hard already but she could feel it get even stiffer inside her mouth, throbbing each time she sucked. Finally she felt him touch her head and Carol knew if she kept going she would finish him off. It was her choice and she decided she wanted to be fucked a little longer first.

So she stood up, turned around and bent over, ready to take all of him one more time. But Daryl teased her a little bit first, rubbing the tip of his erection over her opening a few times, just barely penetrating each time. The next time she was ready and Carol pushed back at just the right time. She felt his hands move to her hips as Daryl gave in and pushed even deeper into her pussy. He stayed deep, with slow, short strokes and Carol quickly felt her body responding to the spot he was hitting. He'd definitely found the right spot and somehow he knew it.

Before long she was feeling dizzy, but it wasn't from being bent over or the hot water, it was because she was so close to coming. She reached back and grabbed his legs, and stood up on her tiptoes to take him just that tiny bit further, just enough to send her flying and then free falling into bliss. Carol was pretty sure she cried out, loudly, but she didn't care. Nothing that felt so good could be held back. She might feel embarrassed later, if she found out someone else was in the house, but right then - nothing could ruin the perfection of that moment.

When they got out of the shower a little while later Carol would have happily curled up in the bed and went to sleep for the night even though it was still early in the day. After visiting with Deanna she wished she had of. "I really don't want to go to this party," she sighed, plopping down on a chair in the kitchen.

"Let's blow it off, this ain't my thing either," Daryl looked at her hopefully.

"We can't," she sighed again, followed by a smile when Daryl reacted with a full on pout. "We don't have to stay long, but we do have to go. I heard they have booze. Maybe a drink or two and then we make our escape. Okay?"

"Oh fine," he grumbled.

Rosita appeared wearing a cute dress with a long cardigan over top. "Aw, you look lovely," Carol gushed.

"Thanks," she said with a bright smile. "Eugene will be spending the next couple nights in the infirmary, so after the party I'm gonna sleep there tonight, just to make sure he doesn't feel alone…" Carol could tell that Rosita cared about Eugene. Either that, or she had spent so much time protecting him that it was just second nature. But either way, it was nice that she felt the need to keep him company. "Anyway, can you guys just keep an eye on Abe for me? Make sure he comes home… he's exhausted. He really needs to rest."

"Of course," Carol agreed with a nod.

"Thank you," Rosita replied. "I'm just gonna go find him and see if I can get him to come to the party."

"Bribe him with whiskey," Daryl muttered, giving Carol a look.

Rosita smiled, "That just might work." She gave a little wave, "See you guys there."

Carol watched her go and realized they should be getting to Deanna's house. But something was eating at her. It had been since they arrived. This was the kind of place she had dreamed of raising her daughter. All those nights she would lay in bed beside Ed, wishing for something more, something safe - a place where her and Sophia could be happy… this was the kind of place she wanted. A community, with people who cared about one another.

"You okay?" Daryl asked. "You're crying… what's wrong?" He was by her side, touching her shoulder. Carol hadn't even realized she was crying until he mentioned it. "Carol?"

She brushed away the tears running down her cheeks. "I was just thinking about Sophia," she admitted. "She would have loved it here…"

Daryl stepped closer and she leaned her head against him. "Yeah, she woulda," he agreed, touching her hair gently. "She'd also be very happy to know her mama is safe," Daryl added. Carol knew he was right, but it was still so hard to think about her baby. There were days she wanted to run back to Atlanta, back to that camp, and search some more. She would always wonder if they had given up too soon. It was something that would haunt her the rest of her life no matter how good she was at rationalizing it. It would always feel like giving up because she would always be left to wonder if Sophia was still out there alive somewhere.

Carol pushed the thoughts away for the millionth time, knowing they would be back again soon enough. "I'm okay," she said, giving Daryl's hand a squeeze. "Let's go get this over with."

They walked together to Deanna's. There were others arriving at the same time and Carol was already getting tired of introducing the two of them. "Come on," she whispered, leading Daryl to the bar area. "Let's get this party started." Carol poured them both a drink. Vodka and some kind of fizzy soda for her and whisky for him.

"I'm so glad you came," a voice spoke from behind them. "Sometimes we throw these little get togethers to welcome the new people and they don't show up." Carol turned and gave Deanna a pleasant smile. She liked the tiny woman already and several others seemed nice enough. Maybe it wasn't going to be so bad after all. "We've been lucky with the last few recruits… got some good ones." Carol nodded, but didn't speak. "Actually, before Aaron found you all, we hadn't had any new residents in a while. The last to arrive was that guy, right over there…" Carol's gaze followed where Deanna was pointing and she immediately choked on her drink.

"Holy shit... " she gasped.

Daryl clued in right around the same time. "Fuck," he whispered. "It can't be…"

"Shane?" Carol looked at Deanna for confirmation because she was in complete shock.

Deanna was looking at them both strangely. "You met Officer Walsh already?"

"Something like that," Daryl muttered.

"He's a very brave man," Deanna continued. "He found a chopper… somewhere in Georgia - flew it until the gas ran out… Aaron found him, living out of the helicopter, brought him here." Her eyes were scanning the room. "Oh there, just coming in," she pointed. "There's his little crew." Carol turned slowly towards the door and suddenly her entire body felt hot. "The boy, his name is Carl and the girl…"

"Sophia," Carol finished for her. "Sophia," she got out one more time before the room started to spin. She felt Daryl's hand on her arm, holding her up. Blackness was threatening to take her. This can't be real. It's a dream. It's not real… Everyone else in the room disappeared the second her baby girl spotted her. Their eyes met and the blackness dissipated completely. "Sophia," she whispered. And they both started to run…


	15. Chapter 15

_AN: Thank you guys so much for reading. I know I let this one fall by the wayside so I appreciate that some of you came back to read the rest. Hope you enjoy the ending :)_

 **Conclusion**

First Shane. Then Carl. And Sophia. Carol's little girl was alive and standing in the same room. Daryl was completely stunned. Was this really happening? He watched Carol and the little girl embrace and he felt tears sting his eyes. He didn't want to cry in front of all these new people so he fought, hard, but the emotion of the moment - watching the woman he loved receive the most incredible gift anyone could ever give her… it was too hard to fight the tears away. He swiped at his cheeks and reminded himself that no one was looking at him. They were all looking at the mother and child - reunited after both believed the other was dead.

Sophia was sobbing in Carol's arms and Daryl could see from the way her body was shaking that Carol was also crying heavily. He wanted to go to them and share in the elation, but it wasn't his moment, it was theirs and he stayed back to respect that.

Daryl felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see that Shane had joined him. "Can you believe this?" Shane said, looking just as shocked as Daryl was feeling.

"We thought… everyone…" Daryl said, unable to say the words for some reason.

"We did too… I saw so many go down before I grabbed the kids and made a break for the woods," Shane replied. "Did anyone else…"

Daryl shook his head. "Everyone was, uh, accounted for 'cept you and the kids… and Glenn." Shane looked hopeful for a moment, but Daryl shook his head again. "Found him turned in the woods."

"Fuck," Shane muttered. "But look at that," he added with a smile, turning his gaze towards Carol and Sophia. Daryl felt his heart swell when he looked at them again. They were looking at each other and Carol was brushing the tears off the little girl's face, smiling a brilliant and beautiful smile that can only come from a place of the most extreme happiness.

Daryl saw Carl and Shane share a smile. It hadn't been all that long since Daryl had seen the boy, but he looked so different, like he'd grown up in the time they'd been apart. Carl was hovering close to Sophia and Daryl almost chuckled out loud. They were just kids and they had no idea what romantic love was, but Daryl knew one day they would.

"So it was you that flew that chopper out, huh?" Daryl commented. Shane gave him a strange look so he explained. "Carol and I spent a night in the chopper - my brother Merle found us and took us to this place called Woodbury. The leader was a psychopath," Daryl said. "Merle helped us escape."

"Wait… Merle? Your brother…he's alive?" Shane looked shocked once again.

"Yeah… missing a hand of course," Daryl muttered. "Anyway, he said they went back to find the chopper and it was gone - someone had flown it away. We were that close to bumping into each other back then…" he said, feeling mystified by the thought of how close their paths had crossed.

Daryl hadn't noticed that Rosita and Abe had joined them until Abe spoke. "You a pilot?" he asked Shane. Daryl was surprised Abe had joined the party.

"Not really," Shane chuckled. "Had a couple lessons from an army buddy. Got lucky." He turned to Daryl. "Merle… he didn't come with you?"

Daryl shook his head. "Nah. He thought he was more useful as the right hand man of some psycho," he said with a sigh. "Merle ain't never really felt useful… I think it meant something to him, ya know?"

"Think maybe he's changed his mind by this point?" Shane asked, giving him a curious look. "Think he might be interested in joining a new community?"

"What are you saying?" Daryl asked, narrowing his eyes.

Shane sucked in a breath. "Look man, I need to get away from here. I need something… maybe just some time, I don't know. Let me go get your brother… bring him here…"

"I… I… don't… know…" Daryl stammered. There was nothing he wanted more than to have his brother back, but it was dangerous out there. He looked over at Carol and Sophia again and his heart ached for a different reason. It ached to have the only blood family he had left back by his side.

"I know it's a risk, but I need something to do. I go out and scavenge for supplies, but it's just not enough anymore," Shane said passionately. "I became a cop to do something good, to help people, save lives… This world doesn't need cops, but I still want to do all those things."

Before Daryl had a chance to speak Abe jumped in. "I'll go with you," he said. "That mission we had… To get Eugene to DC… that's what kept me going, gave me a spark. I need that again. I need it or I'm gonna lose my fucking mind."

"Abraham?" Rosita looked shocked. "I, uh… I'll go too," she said hesitantly.

"No," Abe shook his head. "You'll stay here, stay safe. You'll make sure Eugene is taken care of, like you always have." Rosita started to protest. "Hey, I ain't the last man on earth… if I don't come back, even if I do," he shrugged. "You do what makes you happy."

Rosita ran off in tears and Abe sighed. "Don't leave without me man," he said to Shane. "I'm coming with you. Just gotta go deal with this first." He took off after Rosita leaving Daryl and Shane alone again.

"Write me a note for your brother," Shane said. "I'm leaving first thing in the morning." Daryl nodded and then froze as he saw Carol approaching with Carl and Sophia.

"You remember Daryl right?" Carol said to Sophia. He watched the girl nod and look up at him with wide eyes. He couldn't read her though… was she scared of him? Just shy maybe? "Daryl made sure mommy was safe. He saved my life, many times, but he taught me how to survive too and that's how I got here."

Daryl didn't know what to say or do, he just looked back into the child's eyes. Finally she smiled and stepped forward, throwing her arms around him. "Thank you," she said, hugging him tight.

After a moment Daryl allowed himself to hug her back. He'd never hugged a child before. He'd barely hugged any adults even. But his relationship with Carol had made him more open to physical contact and affection. "You're welcome," he replied, touching her hair before drawing back. Carol had moved closer and was touching both of them. Without thinking he leaned over and placed a kiss on her cheek. Sophia looked shocked and stepped back.

Carol gave him an apologetic look. "I haven't told her anything yet…" she whispered.

"Take her back to the house," Daryl suggested. "Spend some time alone, catching up. I'll stick around here a while and give you some space." Carol nodded and took Sophia's hand, giving Daryl a thankful look. He was extremely nervous as he watched them walk away. For so long it had just been the two of them, but Carol's baby was back now and she had the potential to change everything. Maybe Carol wouldn't want to be in a relationship now that she was a mother again. Maybe Sophia wouldn't be comfortable with him being with her mama. Maybe… A voice snapped him out of his doomsday trance.

"You three are going to make a beautiful family," Deanna said.

"Oh… uh… maybe…" Daryl said, blushing deeply.

"It's a big change hmm?" She gave him a knowing look. "Don't worry, it's all going to work out. Enjoy this beautiful moment, don't be nervous. You're her mom's hero… she's going to love you for that alone." How the hell did this woman read him so easily? Daryl wondered. There was so much wisdom in her eyes and he knew he was going to like her. Deanna smiled and held up her drink. "Cheers," she said. Daryl lifted his glass and they clinked them lightly.

Shane had gone somewhere to talk to Carl and Deanna left so Daryl was alone again. He wanted to give Carol and Sophia some space, but he really didn't want to be at the party any longer. So Daryl downed the rest of the drink and headed outside to wander around. He enjoyed the fresh air and the peaceful calm of the little town. He took the time to really take in his surroundings. Daryl worried he would feel caged, like Shane seemed to, but when he walked by the house he would be living in and saw it lit up brightly, something tugged at his heart. That was his home. He only hoped it would be his home with Carol and Sophia.

He wandered a while longer and then sat for a while by the pond. Then he moved to the little gazebo and stayed there for a bit. Once he was convinced he'd given them enough privacy he finally went home. He could hear them talking and laughing in one of the empty bedrooms down the hall as he entered the room he was supposed to share with Carol.

Daryl shut the door and flopped onto the bed. He was tired, but he decided to wait a while and see if Carol would come to the room. He went into the bathroom and took a piss and then found some pajama pants and a tshirt to put on. He would have just climbed into bed in his clothes, but he had time to kill. And he certainly wasn't going to sleep naked with Sophia down the hall. Do parents sleep naked? He wondered. Parents? "The fuck?" Daryl muttered. A little while ago he was worried it was over between him and Carol and now he was thinking about being a parent.

His stomach rolled. Which way was it going to go? Before he got too lost in his thoughts the door opened and Carol walked in. She was smiling and was absolutely on cloud nine. She shut the door. "You ain't gotta sleep here…" Daryl started. "Go stay with Sophia if you want." He didn't want Carol to ever feel like she was being pulled in different directions. Her daughter was, and always would be the most important person in her life. He knew that and wouldn't want it any other way.

Carol looked at him curiously. "What's wrong?" she asked, walking over to him. She sat beside him on the bed and took his hand. "Talk to me Daryl."

"I.. uh.. Well… I don't know what happens with us now," he said with a shrug. He felt like an idiot as soon as the words were out of his mouth, but it was Carol and he knew he could say anything to her.

"This doesn't change anything," Carol said, squeezing his hand. "I mean, for us. I still want to be with you… if you still want to be with me?"

Daryl gaped at her. How could she think that? "Why wouldn't I want to?" he asked.

"Well it's not just me anymore," she replied softly. "You're getting me… and Sophia." Carol licked her lips. "Maybe you don't want a kid…"

"What?" Daryl gasped. "But she ain't mine…"

"Oh," Carol said sadly.

"No, shit… no…that ain't want I meant," Daryl shook his head. "I mean, she's yours. It's not that I wouldn't want her… but she's yours…"

"Daryl," she said, turning to face him. "If we're gonna do this… you and I… You're gonna be her daddy." He felt tears sting his eyes. He'd given up on ever being a father a long, long time ago. "She's never had a man in her life that deserved to be there. She doesn't know what it's like to have a father who loves her and would never hurt her."

"I wouldn't," he mumbled. "Ever."

"I know that," Carol said, touching his cheek. "That's exactly what I told her. She's excited to get to know you… when you're ready."

"I'm ready," he replied quickly. "I mean, in the morning," he added with a blush. Thing were turning out better than he could have imagined. "Hey," Daryl said. "I was serious earlier, if you want to spend tonight with her or any night - it's okay."

Carol laughed. "You two are going to get along just fine." Daryl looked at her curiously. "She sent me here, to you. She said you looked really worried and nervous at the party and that I should make sure you're okay. She was asleep before I even left the room." Carol stood up and started taking off her clothes. When she was naked she climbed into bed. "Nice jammies," she teased him. "They'll look better on the floor."

Hmm, so I guess parents can sleep naked, Daryl thought as he stripped off his clothes and got into bed with her. They found their way into each other's arms and he would have been happy to just snuggle with her and fall asleep. He quickly filled her in on Shane's plan to go find Merle and how Abe was going too. Carol told him that she had overheard that Eugene woke up and was doing well. Once the conversation died off she touched him suggestively and grinned. They made love slow and easy, ending up tangled together and ready to sleep afterwards. Daryl tucked her close and closed his eyes. He wanted to believe that one day he might get a special gift too and get to hug his brother again, but if it never happened he already had an amazing gift in his arms and a beautiful child sleeping down the hall. And for the first time in his life Daryl went to sleep feeling optimistic about the future.

 **MERLE - MERLE - MERLE - MERLE - MERLE - MERLE - MERLE**

Merle eyed the 4 newcomers standing in front of him. Shane, who he knew from the quarry, a sturdy looking ginger dude, and a black couple - brother and sister. Shane looked around and handed Merle a note. He struggled slightly to open it with one hand, but when he did… he smiled for the first time in months.

 _Merle,_

 _Trust Shane, Please.  
Hope you'll read this note and come join your family.  
Miss you Brother. _

_D._

 **\- The End -**


End file.
